


Zoe of Cybertron

by Rangerfan58



Series: Cybertronian foster child [31]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, メタルヒーローシリーズ | Metal Hero Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29382591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rangerfan58/pseuds/Rangerfan58
Summary: full summary inside but basically another human raised by robots
Series: Cybertronian foster child [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/770157





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> What you recognize I don't own. As always foreign and alien languages are in asterisks while thoughts are in italics. And while this is a crossover with Jiban it is not related to the other crossover story. I am also starting two characters in an unusual situation and basically away from anyone familiar

Two people who had been sleeping together for heat only woke up at the same time and one person asked a familiar question by now

*Remember anything yet?*

*No, and it's frustrating because when I first lost my memories I understood you even though I am not Japanese*

*That's confused me as well *

*In any case though I think we need to go into town for supplies again*

*Agreed, at least our memory loss hasn't affected our ability to earn at least _some_ money*

*Yeah, though what's also confusing is the fact that I'm clearly a minor and yet...*

*Yeah, and yet, you manage to work _and_ you have knowledge that you shouldn't have at your age, or well your assumed age anyways*

*In any case like you said we need supplies again, especially food because we're almost out*

*Going to work as well again?*

*Yeah, what happened to your last job anyways? I thought you were liking it*

*I was, but unfortunately a combination of it actually being seasonal and the fact that shortly after I started the company went out of business means I'm job hunting again*

*Oh...wait is that why you've been skipping meals again?*

*Yes, you need your strength more than I do with your job*

*Fine, but you're eating at _least_ twice a day instead of once every two or three days*

*You noticed*

*Oh yeah, I noticed*

*How about a compromise?*

*What compromise?*

*I eat one meal a day and it's dinner time so that you can make sure I've eaten something*

*Fine, but you need to find new work*

*I'm looking, it's why I didn't come back until late these past few days*

The two get food and three days later both of them were at work since the older of the two managed to get a cleaning job at the police station and found out from one of the police officers getting breakfast for everyone and while he started his shift late, the fact that he didn't have a reliable contact number mitigated that factor, they also fully understood that as an amnesic he was applying under a possible false name with no other choice in the matter

*Every Monday through Friday you start at seven in the morning, Saturday and Sunday you have off unless we tell you otherwise, and even then your starting and ending time will be modified so that you start later and yet end earlier*

*I understand completely*

*We've also talked with the boss of your charge, or well apparent charge and you will be getting off no later than a half hour after she does*

*Understood, it's probably for the best that my shift ends at around the same time as hers anyways*

*Agreed, for today though your shift is ending early, Yoko, as Tamura's friend and the main contact point for the Cybertronians you'll be going to the special memorial service*

*Oh that's right today is...*

*Yes, it is, and since as police officers we can't have everyone take off all at once each department is sending one or two representatives in their stead*

And so Masamune and his roommate meet up at the memorial not knowing that for one of the two things would change and it started with a police officer speaking up

*One year ago we lost a great ally of justice and a police officer, Tamura Naoto went missing and is presumed dead during a fight against Jiban's mortal enemies, who ultimately killed Jiban, while looking for confirmation about Jiban's status the Cybertronians and EDC also suffered a loss*

*Indeed, only two weeks later we lost an EDC kid named Zoe Kerenai, seeing as how it came so close to the loss of Jiban and officer Tamura we decided to remember all of them on the same day*

While the Cybertronian continues to speak one of the people mentally gasps and realizes that they had regained their memories for the most part, also realizing that they were forgetting the time right before and possible a few days after the head injury they had sustained, but the person wasn't worried about that since they knew that such memory loss was fairly common with a head injury and then also realizes that they were going to be separated from their family for a little while longer and thus gave a mental apology to the Cybertronian speaking at the moment

(Thinks) " _I'm sorry I have to do this Hook, but until Tamura remembers his true self as both a police officer and Jiban, or maybe even just one of those two, you're going to have to think us dead for a while longer, though once I get home I'm going to have to make sure I still have his Jiban weapon with me while he's not looking_ "

Once the memorial goes home Zoe and Naoto go back to where they were currently staying and while Naoto was busy else where's she made sure that his Jiban weapon that she had found shortly before she lost her own memory was still where she'd hidden it since it had only been a temporary measure until she could actually talk to Naoto to try and get his memories back and then joins him for dinner

*So, how was your first day at your new job?*

*It was okay, we mainly went over all my duties and where I am and am not allowed and the restricted areas make sense*

*Wait, I thought you were just hired to clean the place?*

*It's actually a little more than that but I don't want to talk about it*

*Understood*

*In any case the food's ready*

*Good, since you have a job again are you going to eat regular meals?*

*Yes I will since I know we'll have enough money for us to do so*

*Good, I'm off tomorrow by the way*

*Oh?*

*Yeah, my job is undergoing renovations so they're reducing staff and rotating everyone but the two managers for when they have off*

*Makes sense*

*It does indeed make sense, as far as I'm aware it's two days off every three days with me working the rest of the time until the renovations are over, then the normal routine is back*

*I see, by the way Sharon, you've been acting off since the memorial service*

*That's...well that's because during the speech I managed to regain my memories*

Naoto puts down his food calmly and then speaks up again

*I guess that means you'll be leaving soon*

Zoe shakes her head though

*I've decided to stay with you until you also remember who you are*

*Sharon...*

*First off, my name is Zoe, second of all though it's not just so that you're not alone again because I know you could handle that, it's because we've been through too much together for me to leave you when you still don't have any of your memories*

*Very well, will your family at least know that you're alive?*

*No, they still think me dead most likely but I feel it's for the best, listen everything will work out once I can reveal myself I promise*

*Fine, but if they don't...*

*They will, I have my reasons for knowing that they will*

*If you're sure than I'm fine with you staying but I still feel that they should know that you're alive*

*I know you do, but trust me to know what I'm doing*

*Very well*

Zoe knew better than to use Naoto's real name, but she still hoped he would remember soon because now that she _did_ remember her family it was hard for her to be away from them. This is because while she knew they would understand her reasons for staying with Naoto and not telling them about her survival and would in fact prefer her to do such a thing whenever possible she missed them greatly and missed speaking in one of her two native languages, plus she also knew that there was a lot of schooling that she had missed and thus would be behind her peers by at least a year if not more


	2. Chapter 2

*In any case I have an early start tomorrow so it's bedtime for me*

*Right*

And so time passed and soon it had been six months since Zoe had regained her memories which meant it had been a year and a half since she and Naoto were declared dead

"Six months huh?"

*Did you say something Zoe?*

*Yeah, sorry I was just thinking out loud*

*In a language I didn't understand*

*Yeah, my native language actually*

*I see, you know, seeing as how we surprisingly both have the day off why don't we just go into town and enjoy the festival that's going on right now?*

And so Zoe grabs the bag she always grabbed lately and Naoto decides to ask her about it

*Why do you always carry that bag around anyways whenever we both go out lately?*

*It has some supplies that are ultimately not needed but you never know*

*Supplies?*

*Yes supplies, first aid kit and things like that*

*Makes sense*

And with that the two head off to the local festival and for a while they enjoyed it, until a Bioron attack happened which was combined with a known terrorist group

*Not good*

Both of them were able to find shelter though with a few police officers leading the way and then speaking to all the civilians (Zoe didn't consider herself or Naoto civilians because of who they really were but knew that the police officers there did) there

*Everyone is to stay here where it's as safe as we think we can get it, we'll give you the all clear once we know the problem has been taken care of*

And with that the entire group is left in the pseudo shelter and things were okay initially but then Naoto saw several officers go down hard after being hit by a Bioron attack and Naoto instinctively moved to leave the safety of the area and thus Zoe spoke up using Naoto's false name as a precaution

*Masamune, where are you going?*

*I'm going out to help them*

*Masamune, you can't!, you're...*

Zoe cuts herself off when Naoto turns and looks at her because with that one look Zoe knew that Naoto had regained most, but not all of his memories and he turned and started to leave without one word but she called out

*Naoto wait!*

Naoto stops and turns around to see her right next to him

*I'm a police officer Zoe, I have to go*

*I know, but not without this*

With that Zoe goes into her bag and then hands Naoto a weapon which helped him regain the rest of his memories (and while it wasn't his Jiban weapons it was his standard police weapon since Zoe knew better than to bring out his Jiban weapon in public)

*Thanks, and we'll talk about this later right?*

*Definitely*

And with that Naoto leaves the safety of the shelter while Zoe does what she'd been holding in for a long, long time, she used her special abilities without announcing said use by making an invisible barrier in case of stray shots and then simply waited until she was given the all clear by both Naoto and another police officer, who promptly turned on Naoto since the officer considered Naoto a civilian (Naoto had also deliberately not changed into Jiban both because he didn't want the enemies to know about his return and the fact that it was way too dangerous to do so in the presence of so many people)

*You are coming back to the station with me mister, you put yourself in unnecessary danger and...*

*I understand and agree officer, I need to go there anyways for personal reasons*

Zoe also speaks up then

*I also need to go there for personal reasons, also...is it possible for an EDC representative to be present when we arrive?, or if not shortly afterwords?*

*There's actually already an EDC officer permanently stationed there as a precaution but...*

*It will all be explained at the station officer, I promise*

Twenty minutes later and Naoto and Zoe were both at the station with Yoko looking surprised

*Masamune, you're supposed to be off today, what brings you in here?*

*Official business that needs addressed as quickly as possible*

The officer who had wanted to arrest Naoto speaks up then

*Primarily joining in a fight when he has no right to as a civilian*

*And this is why I needed to come here, I have a lot of explaining to do, as does my comrade*

*Yeah, it's why I need the EDC officer in the room when the explaining is happening*

And so the group heads to an interrogation room since that was the only room known to be secure and sound proofed to a degree

*Okay you two, what's going on?*

*First off I need to know what you remember from about a year and a half ago*

*That case...when we lost Naoto and Jiban, and then not two weeks later the EDC...*

*Yeah, though more specifically the Cybertronians, and what I'm about to tell you is highly classified but needs explained right now, lost their adoptive daughter while searching for Tamura and Jiban since she was here for summer lessons*

*What about the case do you guys specifically remember?, and this is important*

*People had been missing and Jiban...I saw Jiban seriously wounded but he said he would go to the Bioron base anyways, Naoto had been following a different lead and then...well Naoto disappeared completely with very little traces left behind and Jiban never returned from the base which later exploded so...*

*So you had to give him up for dead definitively and Tamura up as possibly dead*

*Yeah*

*As for the Cybertronians, Zoe decided to try and see if she could get any definite answers on either of their status and then...contact was lost and evidence was found to suggest...*

*That she was killed?*

*Yeah*

Naoto was the one who spoke up since with their own little sign language that they had developed in their year and a half together they had managed a private conversation in the police car on the way in and it was agreed that except when absolutely necessary Naoto would be the one who did all the explaining to everyone

*As it turns out, that's not the end of the case, or the story*

*What?*

*Yes, I'm telling you the truth, as it turns out Jiban survived being in the exploding base by some miracle and as for Naoto and Zoe Kerenai they too survived the attacks on them when they were doing their separate investigations*

The EDC officer is the one to speak up this time

*But the evidence...*

*Was very convincing I'm sure, it was meant to be that ways by the enemy, but the three are alive, I can't tell you where Jiban is at the moment because I'm not sure, but I know exactly where Tamura and Kerenai are right now*

*Really, where are they and...and why haven't they come home sooner?*

*As to the second question, the reason they haven't been able to come home sooner is because they forgot who they were, how could one go home if one doesn't even know where home is?*

*True, so again, where are they?*

*Right in front of you this whole time, hello Yoko, sorry it took me so long to come home*

*Naoto?...is that you Naoto?*

*It's me*

*Naoto...then that means...Kerenai!, you're alive*

*Hello officer Dunham, been a while huh?*

The officer who brought them in suddenly speaks up

*Hold on, they could be impostors you know*

Zoe suddenly sighs and speaks up again

*Somehow I knew you were going to say that*

And so after two hours of rigourous testing it was ultimately proven that the two were real and that it was actually them, during that time Naoto apologized again for not returning sooner and explaining that he'd been Masamune and thus had been working at his old job without knowing it under a different name and different position while Zoe explained that she had regained her memories six months earlier at the memorial but had deliberately stayed away since Naoto hadn't regained his memories until earlier that day

*This is going to take some doing to work out*

*Sorry*

*Not your fault Naoto*

*Still, if Kerenai remembered sooner than you did why didn't she tell us?*

*I'm not sure, all I know is that she said that her family would understand why she did that*

*Her...okay yeah I know why she didn't return now, should have cued in on that the moment I learned she regained her memories before you did*

*But the trouble she'll be in...*

*Won't be any most likely or if she does get in trouble for not telling them sooner she's going to have the lightest possible punishment*

*That's why I didn't say anything the day I remembered my true self because I know my family and...*

*And they would most likely approve of what you did, and even if they don't fully approve they'll understand and be extremely lenient with you*

*Exactly*

*How lenient are we talking Zoe?, because...*

*The worst that will happen is that I'm grounded and confined to base over the weekend*

*You remember the last time don't you?*

*Yes, yes I do*

*In any case one both identities can be confirmed you are going back to base with me and explaining your decision in person considering you could have been home six months ago*

*Sure, I've missed them so much since I regained my memories*

*I'm sure you have*

Once their identities had been proven Zoe went back to base and her family was indeed understanding of her decision to stay away for as long as she had once she had regained her memories though there were a few initial choice words about hiding Naoto's weapon which could have helped him remember his true identity sooner

"Hey it was either hide the weapons or risk them being discovered by the enemy, I didn't exactly have a lot of time between finding Naoto and search teams from Bioron finding our location"

"I guess you didn't have much of a choice after all then"

"Nope, not really, if not for the search teams I would have asked him if he knew who he was and then called you guys and offered this place as a safe location to regain his memories and making sure that friends of his knew of his location so that they could come try and help also"

"And we would have agreed to shelter him until he remembered who he was"

"I know, it's why that was the initial plan"

"In any case, what are your plans now?"

"Well that depends on you guys really"

"Oh?"

"Yes I...I think I'm needed in Japan but I know for a fact I've probably missed too much schooling to be allowed to stay, plus there's the whole legal guardian thing we have going on"

"We'll make it work because you're right, you are needed in Japan, because if what you've told us about Tamura Naoto is true then..."

"It's true, and I'm surprised I was the one who figured it out first"

"We had our suspicions but decided not to confront him about it"

"I see, well that confrontation is going to have to happen now, along with him finding out our true relationship because of how long I've lived with him"

"Good point, Cybertronian lessons?"

"Not unless he wants to guys, I think it best that ways, but mandatory English lessons all things considered"

"Think he'll agree to it?"

"Most likely"

Zoe thinks about something and then winces at said thought

"I just realized that he's technically homeless unless the department kept up his rent despite his being thought dead"

"Well since he knows you how about you go to the police station and ask him about his living situation...if he's even still at the station"

"He will be, last I heard he was doing a lot of legal paperwork to get himself declared alive again and seeing if he needed to do any refresher training to become a police officer again...you know speaking of how come I'm not doing a lot of paperwork to deal with the legal complications of being declared dead a year and a half ago?"

"It's because the way the two of you were declared dead differed from each other by necessity of the fact that we were the ones who raised you"

"Oh I see, in any case I'm heading back to the station to figure out Naoto's living situation and take it from there"

And so Zoe heads back over to the station and finds that Naoto was indeed still dealing with paperwork, specifically the paperwork regarding his ability to return to his actual job at the station rather than being the person who maintained the basic stuff and cleaned the building and decided that he was in a good place to interrupt him


	3. Chapter 3

*Naoto?*

*Zoe, hi*

*Hey so...my family and I were wondering what your living situation actually is*

*I'm currently homeless through no fault of the police*

*Naoto put in his will that his apartment was to be used as a safe house so naturally we kept up the rent, unfortunately due to a gas explosion the apartment was destroyed and since we thought that Naoto was dead...*

*You found a new place to use as a safe house and naturally didn't think anything of making sure that Naoto had a place to return to as well since he was supposed to be dead*

*Exactly*

*Well, my family is offering up their place for you to live until you find a new place but...that's going to take some explaining on my end and of course it's ultimately up to you if you want to live with us*

*I think it's for the best that I live with you and your family and...I think I know at least some of the explanations that are needed but have to be done in private if my suspicions about your family are correct*

And so the two go to a private area once it was confirmed that Naoto was finally done with all the paperwork he needed to deal with at the moment

*Okay Naoto, what exactly are your suspicions about my family?*

*That you're not just an EDC kid, that you're actually the adopted daughter of the Cybertronians*

*You're right but how'd you guess and how do you even know...wait you're a police officer of course you'd have been informed when the adoption first went through*

*Yes that's how I knew about their adopted child, though why they didn't specify it was their child at the memorial I don't know*

*Too many civilians, while it's not exactly a complete secret anymore that they adopted a human child on the wishes of the birth parents it's also not exactly public knowledge depending on various factors and Japan is one of the countries that unless you have a need to know, like being in the military or police then...*

*Then it's not generally common knowledge and for good reason*

*Yeah so...you want to come live with me and my family until you can find your own place?*

*Works for me, at least my friends will know I'm in a safe place*

*Yes and...you should know that if not for Bioron and thus my losing my memories I would have taken you to the base when I first found you and let your friends know where you were*

*So that they could help me regain my memories but until then keep up the rent knowing that I was alive and safe in the meantime*

*Yeah*

*In any case you're the best option that I'm aware of so let your family know that I accept the offer*

*Will do and...they will have questions for you regarding a suspicion I confirmed...Jiban*

*You know*

*Yep, I know*

*How?*

*It wasn't just your standard issued police weapon I discovered, I also found your Jiban weapons and kept those hidden away too, they're back at the EDC base since I didn't exactly have a good time to reveal them to you at the station*

*Understood, let's get going then huh?*

*Yeah, let's get going, oh and if you're going to be living with us and continue to remain friends you're being compelled to learn English*

*Makes sense if it's you're native language and the main language spoken at the base, fortunately now that I know you speak English I realize that I was understanding parts of when you talked to yourself, but it was so soft generally that I didn't realize what language you were speaking most of the time*

*Yeah about that...I have two native languages due to the fact that the Cybertronians adopted me at six months old*

*Right, well in any case let's get going, I don't have much stuff with me and you know it from living with me all this time, by the way how much trouble are you in?*

*For staying with you this whole time that I remembered my identity not in any trouble at all, after all my family understood why I stayed behind, for hiding your weapon when I first discovered you? I'm in slight trouble for that though considering the ambush that happened fairly soon afterwords not in nearly as much trouble as I could be*

*Even counting keeping it hidden after you regained your memories?*

*It was best to keep to the status quo at the time Naoto*

*So how bad?*

*Mainly just a lecture about keeping weapons hidden from those who need them...and there's more after we get back but it's not going to be too bad*

Once the two get back and Naoto is settled into his temporary quarters Zoe learns that her punishment was cleaning all the weapons in the armory herself that were either just her size or smaller than her because there were a few weapons that were too big for her to safely clean and then Zoe learned part of the reason why she was doing the cleaning in her second native language since it was Prowl doing the explaining and all of them felt that to settle Zoe in further in regards to being with her family again it was best that they spoke to her in Cybertronian

*This was going to happen eventually Zoe since you need to learn how to safely handle weapons and take care of them, it's just that it's happening sooner than expected because of the fact that this is a punishment*

*Okay, how?*

*This is to show you how important a person's weapon is for them, and thus why you don't do anything to the weapon that could potentially damage it or the person who's supposed to handle said weapon, and yes by simply hiding it you were hurting him*

*Understood, this is going to take a while*

Ultimately she was at it the rest of the day including lunch and dinner breaks, fortunately it was the weekend so she didn't have to worry about classes at the moment, though part of that was because her education situation was still being sorted out, but finally she was finished and the next day she and the rest of her family explained several things to Naoto about how they figured out who he was in regards to his identity as Jiban and Naoto explained a few things about how the information regarding Zoe came to be known specifically in his department since while the police were generally informed about major aspects of the Cybertronians, the station had chosen for most to actually remain ignorant regarding the human child the Cybertronians had adopted for Zoe's own safety

*It wasn't explained to us why some of us actually were made aware of Zoe's situation and others were not but we've coped the best we can with the situation*

*I see, and again sorry for hiding your weapons from you for so long, maybe if I hadn't once I regained my own memories we could have returned home sooner*

*Who knows but in either case I had them when I needed them the most*

*Yeah, guess so*

*Listen...Zoe what you did was for the best, if you'd brought those out the day you remembered who knows how I would have reacted, remember how I was anyways right after attending the memorial service?*

*I don't remember you...wait yes I do, I remember now, it's just that it wasn't immediately after the memorial service, more like a few hours later that it started*

*Oh, didn't notice, in any case though...wait you're twelve, or is it thirteen?*

*Uh...Barricade?*

*Thirteen, your birthday happened...well it happened about a month ago*

*I see, guess I wasn't paying attention to the date*

*As I was saying before we unintentionally got sidetracked, in any case though I wasn't in a good state of mind to be regaining my memories, at least not that I'm aware of, plus Zoe wasn't doing the greatest mentally or emotionally either during that time, for now obvious reasons and it was best she didn't reveal the weapons*

*I see, but wait, why ask about her age just now?*

*Because I just realized that on top of missing a lot of school I had someone who wasn't even a teenager taking care of me with amnesia herself because I got sick shortly after we met and...yeah it wasn't very pretty for either of us*

*Hey you've done the same over the past year and a half*

*True, still though I think I'll start searching for a new apartment*

*Best not, it's going to take your paperwork at least a week to go through and that's with us expediting it*

*Understood, what about Zoe?*

*Apparently my paperwork is already done with and I am legally alive again as of...I think I was told five pm*

*Wow, that's fast*

*According to Galvatron it's because a different method was used with me for being declared deceased*

*I see, and wait they can expedite that kind of paperwork?*

*In certain situations yes we can, and for you we're doing it partially as a favor in thanks for taking care of our daughter while she's been gone*

*And the other part?*

*The other part is the fact that...well it's partially our fault that police officers are declared dead so quickly after any incident where they're not heard from after a few days*

*That one's not your fault, it makes sense after the incident that forced that decision to happen in the first place*

*Thanks for your understanding, we're still expediting the process as much as possible for you*

*Understood, it's your choice*

*By the way, when do you want to start learning English?*

*Tomorrow is soon enough*

And so Naoto starts learning English and was declared alive within a week, however due to various issues it ultimately took him two months to find a new apartment and in the meantime he became nearly fluent in English

"I think we can say that you can have a decent conversation in English if needed"

"Agreed"

"So, do you finally have an apartment?"

"Yes, I know you're not annoyed at how long I've stayed but at..."

"The trouble and frustration you've had in finding one, my family was beginning to wonder if you needed a spar against one of the cassettes"

"Oh, didn't know that"

"Yeah, sorry we should have told you"

"Not your fault still will you guys help me..."

Suddenly Naoto stops and Zoe doesn't blame him because of the fact that they heard trouble just ahead

*Okay we join the fight now and if needed you go Jiban while I cover for you*

*Got it, wait why are you switching to Japanese?*

*Easier for you*

And so Zoe starts to fight the enemy and actually manages to do some damage and then Jiban joins in and together they kill the enemy

*That takes care of that*

*Indeed, but still...*

*I know it shouldn't have...*

Suddenly they both turn around and see the enemy standing up again

(Sighs) *Okay, I think it's time to scan that enemy to see what revived it*

*No need, it might simply be a clone, let's just defeat it again*

They defeat the enemy again but this time saw it revive and that's when Zoe let's out an obviously frustrated growl and reverts to English

"How many times do we have to kill that thing?"

*I think now might be a good time to scan the enemy with those contacts of yours*

Once the results came back Zoe spoke up

*This is out of our league Jiban, I need to call in the big guns for this enemy*

*What for?*

*You don't want to know actually, just know that we can't beat this thing without them*

*Understood *

And so Zoe calls for Jazz, Mirage, Starscream and Blaster and with their help the enemy was finally well and truly defeated

"Well that took longer than it should have"

"Agreed, I've never had that much trouble against a Bioron enemy before"

"That's because if I had scanned it before we actually destroyed it the first time we would have known that it wasn't completely a Bioron enemy, somehow, and don't ask me how but somehow your enemy got combined with Quintesson technology"

"Oh, that would do it"

"Yes it would, now then before you got interrupted I believe you were going to ask for help moving into the apartment and I and several EDC officers have already volunteered for that job, we were just waiting for confirmation of the fact that you did have an apartment and a move in date"

"I was, and thanks, I move in officially on the first of next month but...I don't exactly have any furniture for it, the bed comes with as do a few basic appliances but other than that..."

"Right we'll help you with that for sure"

And so move in day happened and things were actually calm, once Naoto was moved in he went to his job to update his address for them


	4. Chapter 4

*Thanks Naoto and...we haven't really said it before but we're really glad you're alive, and glad that Jiban is alive too*

*I know and...while I can't speak for Jiban all I can do whenever you think of that time is to apologize for forgetting for so long and thus being gone and thought dead*

*But according to you it wasn't your fault, after all it's well known that head wounds can lead to concussions or even amnesia*

*True but still I felt I needed to apologize for being thought dead for so long*

*It's over and done with Naoto, by the way how did the move to the new place go?*

*It was fine I have everything I need for now and will simply be keeping things basic until I decide how I want to decorate my new place*

*How was it living with the Cybertronians?*

*Interesting to say the least, but they are well aware of how much smaller we are compared to them and compensate accordingly*

*Understood*

*In any case there's something that now needs to be discussed after living with them for about two months*

*Oh?*

*Yes, I now am not quite fluent in English but I know enough to have a conversation without a translator nine times out of ten, I wonder if I might be given the position of official go-between*

*You know now that I think about it it is weird the station doesn't have such a position already*

*Same here, it's why I am going to apply for that position if it's available*

*Very well*

Naoto easily gets the position and gets training needed to be associated with the EDC, though part of that training was with Zoe using her powers

*You are ridiculously strong for a thirteen year old*

*True, but I have to be as you well know Jiban, and by the way I'm living here until eighteen at least for a lot of complicated reasons*

*Understood, has the schooling situation been taken care of by the way?*

*It has now that it's decided I'm staying in Japan for the time being*

*Got it*

*Good by the way your concentration slipped, I've got you*

*Wha?...*

Suddenly Naoto finds himself faced with a sword to his neck

*This is something we'll be working on regularly*

*But Kerenai...*

*No Jiban, family enemies will figure out you have a connection to us and that means enemies that are even sneakier than my family and yes that includes cloaking abilities*

*Understood I guess I can't argue against that then*

*Nope, you can't*

And so training continued and a month later Zoe was beginning to visit Naoto at his job so that the officers there could learn to recognize her because she and her family felt that such recognition was important for her safety and theirs when suddenly a lot of screaming was heard and they went outside and saw trouble

*Kerenai, stay there*

*No way, I am joining the fight, I have guns and I'm not afraid to use them*

Everyone suddenly looked at her waist and realized that she'd entered the police department all this time armed and wondered how she'd managed that not knowing that her ID said she had an international weapons permit that she also always carried around and once it was registered she didn't have to show it again. And so she joined the fight and actually got injured, she had been facing one way and suddenly heard her name and turned just in time to get shot in the shoulder

*Kerenai are you alright?!*

*I'm fine, just clipped in the shoulder*

Once the fight is finished the group realizes that Zoe was telling the truth and that she really was basically okay except for a bullet in the shoulder since it wasn't a through and through shot

*You're going to need an x-ray to see if that needs taken care of*

*Yeah, and it probably will be, feels like it broke some bone*

*Hospital it is then*

*But it has to be the EDC hospital because of...issues regarding normal hospitals that you guys don't see very often*

*Understood*

The officers learned that day that Zoe had sensitivities to a lot of normal medications and thus the EDC was the safest place for her because they had alternate medicines due to dealing with and having alien allies

*Why does she have so many sensitivities?*

*That's...that's complicated and not something I am comfortable answering right now*

*Understood*

They wait three hours and receive news that the bullet had been taken out and the shoulder properly taken care of and that she would eventually recover near completely from her wounds

*Near completely?*

*She might have a permanent barometer due to her shoulder plus...other things that I am not able to discuss with you without her permission but since shoulder issues after being shot are known I feel I can say that at the very least*

*Fine, by the way I need to know this for everyone's sake, if it's needed are you capable of taking care of Jiban? I need to know because of the fact that we've almost lost him too many times and...*

*Yes, if it's needed we can take care of Jiban*

*Thanks*

*Yoko, why did you need to know that information?*

*Because we can't take care of Jiban properly and...*

*Oh, yeah guess that makes sense then*

*In any case we would have done so at the first opportunity anyways, with his permission of course if we could give it, if not we'd belatedly ask for it, but since you guys are asking in his stead we'll just explain it to him the next time we see him if possible*

*Next time you see him?*

*Well we do help fight his enemies sometimes since they join with ours you know*

*Good point, and I bet he gives reports to you guys whenever that happens*

*Indeed he does, now then I have reporting to do myself and I need to do it now, by the way no visitors for at least twenty-four hours for safety reasons*

*Understood*

And so the group leaves while the Cybertronians are given a much needed update on Zoe

"Thank you for the report"

"You're welcome, also I was wondering if we should start including Tamura Naoto, also known as Jiban in the status updates all things considered"

"Not yet, but soon maybe"

"We need to talk to him anyways though"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, his coworkers asked us to take care of him if he's injured in his Jiban form seeing as how they apparently don't know the truth about him"

"Guess after the next fight we'll talk to him"

"Yes guess so, by the way this goes for you guys as well minus Ratchet and First-Aid since they're medical personnel, no visitors for twenty-four hours for her own health"

"Right, we know the rules regarding whenever she has surgery"

"Just letting you know since I'm required to do so no matter how often we've gone over the routine"

"Right, forgot about that"

Two days later and Naoto was at the EDC base in his civilian form and not Jiban form due to the fact that he had come across clearly obvious EDC type weapons

*Tamura, what are you doing here?*

*I came across weapons that are clearly in your jurisdiction and confiscated them before someone got their hands on them without thinking of the risks*

*Understood, by the way we need to talk later about your Jiban identity*

*Got it, let me guess it's in regards to my health right?*

*How do you know that?*

*My coworkers have been talking about Jiban lately in my vicinity, and since that's the case and the fact that I'm actually Jiban without their knowledge...*

*Right that would do it*

*So what did you need to talk to me about?*

*After the weapon Tamura*

*Understood*

And so Naoto hands over the weapons and it's confirmed that they were indeed weapons that the EDC was more familiar with and could safely handle


	5. Chapter 5

*Now that we've taken care of that business we should explain that your coworkers want us to take care of your medical needs whenever you're in your Jiban form and we said we'd ask next time we saw you*

*I agree to it, and should have said something when we first got to know each other through Zoe*

*Then I guess in your Jiban form you should sign the paperwork that officially gives us medical power of attorney and permission to give treatment*

*Guess so*

And so Naoto signs the forms needed and then visits Zoe who was still in the medical ward

"Hey Zoe"

"Hey Naoto, so what brings you here?"

"Weapons meant for the EDC to handle"

"Oh, okay"

"In any case once you're healed up we'll continue the practicing that we've been doing"

"Right"

A month later and while Zoe wasn't back up to fighting strength she was back to her normal daily routine regarding going to school and visiting Naoto at work, she also had business at the bank at the same time as Naoto and his team were dealing with an incident that had happened recently regarding a fire and was doing paperwork regarding that when the bank was robbed

*Whatever you guys do, don't reveal yourselves*

*Right Naoto, good point*

The group lets themselves be tied up and simply sits and observes when suddenly after an hour of silence one of the officers whispers something that was surprising very briefly

*Hey guys, is it just me or does Kerenai look like she's planning something?*

The rest of the officers at the bank take a good look at her body language and whenever they get a glimps a look at her eyes and then Yoko sums it up quite nicely

*Oh yeah, definitely planning something*

*Then we wait and let her make all the moves*

*Tamura, you're at the EDC base the most for some reason, think you can predict her moves?*

*Positive Yukimura, and by the way, I'm there frequently because of my connection with Zoe since we did live together for a year, amnesic not withstanding*

The group keeps a discreet eye on Zoe when suddenly she makes her move during the change in guard, though only they noticed it as trained police officers, what Zoe did was slip a drug into the drink of one of the captors during a bathroom run, and this drug would knock the person out cold within moments

*Risky carrying that on her and drugging them but once the drug works we make our move*

*Agreed*

And so once the drug starts taking effect the officers quickly gain the upper hand and safely end the situation with no injuries or deaths on either side

*Well now we have more paperwork to deal with but at least everyone's still alive*

*Agreed, by the way Zoe, do you have any idea how risky what you did was?*

*I do indeed have an idea of how risky it was, but I felt it was for the best that I take that risk*

*Fine, by the way I'm going to be seeing you at school soon due to a request by your principal*

*Right, I heard about that assembly from the principal himself, he felt it best to inform me for reasons I'm not getting into*

*Why...never mind you already said you wouldn't explain, however what I do actually need to know is if any incidents with my job will affect the assembly happening*

*I don't know that one is something you'll have to talk to him about*

*Understood*

Ultimately the assembly time and date wasn't changed because of the fact that Naoto didn't have any cases suddenly pop up on him right as the assembly was going to take place and it was a good assembly and afterwords the school as a whole learned they had a month off for renovations that were desperately needed

*With that being the case however there might be a few teachers who might give you homework or tests that were due during the time of the renovations, they'll be letting all of you know today at the end of class if that's the case*

Ultimately Zoe did have one test but that was all that would have to be done during the break and that was only because of the fact that the entire class had known about the math test a week before the assembly even happened and since the assembly was on a Wednesday and the test was supposed to be on Friday no one was surprised to hear about the take home test they were given in class to be completed on Friday in front of a designated proctor, though for Zoe since any EDC officer was considered a proctor she and a few other EDC kids could do their testing on base

*So, what are you going to do during that month anyways?*

*Train and make sure that things are and remain okay, plus get back to my normal strength because my shoulder...*

*Right, you're still in therapy for that aren't you?*

*Yes, I am*

The month off was the best month ever in Zoe's mind because Jiban came to train daily and she regained her strength back and was back to her normal routine by the end of the month long break

*I think we can safely say that you can take care of yourself*

*Agreed, my shoulder is much improved*

*Back to normal function actually*

*No not yet Jazz and honestly it might never be completely back to normal, the weather will tell us that*

*Right, in any case though you're back to field duty as needed*

*Good point*

The next day Zoe would begin school again and the rest of the year was actually calm and didn't have any issues other than a minor water pipe burst that didn't even affect the whole school since it happened in only one section and since that section wasn't even being used that day the classes weren't affected by it at all

*Glad to be back to your normal routine?*

*Infinitely glad*

*So, you said something about special training this week*

Zoe switches to English to force Naoto to keep in practice

"Yes, my family has decided that we're taking you to a special training area specifically put aside by the Japanese government for the EDC and you'll be getting field experience with those skills you've been learning from me"

"Understood"

"And by the way we're all playing under a handicap which should hopefully make things easier for you"

"Wait I thought you would be doing the field training with me"

"Oh I am, but since I've lived and trained with them practically my whole life I'm still under a handicap"

"Understood"

"In any case let's get going since it's about time to head out and my family is the one giving us the ride"

"Right, let's get going then"

Ultimately the training was okay but Jiban lost the game of tag a lot and was captured a few times as well

*That could have gone better*

*It's why we're doing the training regularly Jiban, eventually you'll get to where handicaps aren't necessary, or if they're used they're not as strict as they are at the moment*

*Let's hope so*

And so the next two years of training were intense, and Naoto learned that Zoe not only grew in knowledge as she turned first fourteen and then fifteen but in strength as well, not only physically, but mentally too and as she grew older her powers also grew in strength but she also did regular training to keep those powers under control at all times. Granted it wasn't without it's share of troubles but the group could handle them ultimately until one day they couldn't

*Is it just me or are these guys even more persistent than normal?*

*It's not...just you Kerenai, we're having...issues too!*

*Right, time to get serious then, everyone get back if possible, Arranyan chains!*

Everyone who could managed to get out of the way of Zoe's attack having heard her declare her using her powers which were now well known amongst the police force even if it still wasn't really known that she was the adoptive daughter of the Cybertronians

*Hey, where'd Naoto go?*

*Radio's weren't working in the building remember?*

*Oh yeah, and we desperately need backup*

Ten minutes later and the group sees Jiban joining the fight

*Jiban!*

With Jiban joining the fight it truly looked like they were turning the tide when suddenly Jiban was hit from behind and he fell to his knees and then he was struck again and completely fell onto the ground where he was picked up and carried off by the enemy

*Why you...Arranyan air slash!*

The battle ended right then and there with Zoe using that attack

*Finally, now then for now I think...*

Zoe suddenly realizes that one of the group was heading in the direction that the enemy that had taken Jiban had gone and quickly acts to stop them

*Arranyan chains!*

Suddenly Yoko is being held down by chains on her feet and arms and she instantly starts struggling against them and also starts yelling at Zoe

*Let me go!*

*Calm down and I will*

*Let me go Kerenai!*

*No Yoko, not until you calm down*

*But Jiban!...they've taken Jiban*

*I know, but I'm not letting go until you calm down, you're a police officer you should know what thinking with your emotions does to an investigation*

Yoko continues struggling against Zoe's chains for a few moments longer and then simply goes slack and the look in her eyes tells Zoe that she was in her right mind again and actually thinking like an officer once more and thus Zoe let's her go

*Now that you're actually calm I have a few ideas that might work but I need to work on them alone until I know for sure that they actually do work, besides that my family is probably getting worried about me*

*Wait, where's Naoto and our backup?*

*Hm...backup is arriving right now from the distant sirens I can hear, as for Naoto that I don't know* (thinks) "actually I do know but I can't tell any of you since you're still unaware of Naoto's identity as Jiban"

Zoe heads back to base and as soon as she's in the control room everyone could tell that something was up, not just from her body language but also due to the fact that she broke the explicit rule stating that if any human EDC officers were in the room the standard language was English, instead she spoke in Cybertronian

*One of you guys needs to get a start on searching for Jiban's tracking chip now*

"Zoe, you know the rules"

*I don't care right now Bluestreak, this matter is a security matter and since most everyone can speak Japanese I'm not risking it at the moment*

*Very well, one of the others will get right on it, but why do we need to anyways?*

*Abduction why else? I also need results fast due to the fact that we can't keep what's happened to Naoto from the police forever and one of the group was trying to go after the enemy that captured Jiban right after the fight was over with*

*Got it*

Two days later and the EDC was lying to the police regarding where Naoto was while Zoe mentioned that her lead didn't pan out in regards to the search for Jiban


	6. Chapter 6

*The EDC decided, with his permission, to put a tracking chip in Jiban for just such an occasion and they haven't found it's signal which means one of two things, either the enemy discovered and destroyed it before a trace could be started or...*

*Or Jiban's dead, right?*

(Sighs) *unfortunately you're correct*

*Then we'll have to hope it's just that the tracking chip was discovered*

*Agreed*

*In the meantime though you have paperwork you need to deal with for us, it's about the incident that started this whole mess two days ago*

*Wait why do I?...oh guess I forgot to actually write the report, sorry guys thought I had done that and you just reminded me that I actually haven't yet*

*Nope you haven't or if you did you did it at the EDC base and they didn't give it to us as is standard procedure*

*Right, guess I should get working on that now, and fair warning the EDC doesn't expect me back at base for a few hours so I want to do some training with you guys after the report is finished*

*Understood*

Thirty minutes later and the officers were getting an intense training session with Zoe, even if it was just hand-to-hand combat training per an agreement made right before training began which lasted for three hours before a mandatory two hour break was called since the group had imposed five minute breaks between bouts at Zoe's and the Chief's insistence and during lunch Yoko speaks up after a thought comes into her head

*Hey Kerenai, do you remember the day we first realized how often you might work with Jiban due to that alliance?*

*Yeah...yeah I remember alright*

Just under two years ago

Zoe and Naoto were simply enjoying time together in the nearby park when suddenly they hear signs of trouble and decide to investigate just in case it was something Naoto as a police officer or Zoe as an EDC kid should get involved in since the signs of trouble might not actually be trouble as they well knew

"Naoto, is it just me or does that look like human criminals joining forces with Bioron?"

"Not sure, think we should investigate though just in case it is"

"Indeed, especially because it looks like, and this is without my special contacts being used, those weapons are EDC weapons, or at the very least weapons that EDC allies use"

Ultimately it was regular criminals teaming up with Bioron and so Naoto managed to get away long enough to change into Jiban, now then part of the plan was that Zoe would pretend to be an innocent bystander who managed to accidentally get caught up in everything and thus she was captured but also quickly broke her bonds though the enemy wasn't aware of it. And she simply waited for the moment to act come and managed to hear a very valid comment that she also knew wouldn't be believed

*I should warn you that even if you stop me I'm not the only threat present here at the moment*

*Yeah right, like we'd really believe that*

*Believe me or not it's true and I felt it best to warn you*

*Well we don't believe you*

The group brutally cuts Jiban down right afterwords but they wouldn't manage the killing blow they intended because Zoe had activated her shields for Jiban's protection and once he was down she got up and spoke in a very low, dangerous tone of voice

*You know, you should really have paid attention when Jiban said that he wasn't the only threat present here against you guys*

*Oh really, like a child is going to stop us*

*That was your last and final warning, Arranyan swords*

Suddenly the criminals were very, very scared because a child was suddenly holding very sharp weapons in her hands

*You...you wouldn't*

*Oh yes I would and I'm going to prove it now*

And with that the fight started and Zoe proved just how competent she was with the weapons and with the help of the police that arrived soon after she took care of the criminals that had knocked Jiban out cold

*Kerenai, is Jiban?...*

*No, he's alive but unconscious, want me to call the EDC to take care of him?*

*Please do*

And with that Zoe calls her family and they pick both of them up at the same time and take them back to base so that Jiban aka Tamura Naoto could be given the treatment he needed for his wounds. Four hours later and the doctor comes out

*Good thing we have the ability to treat him, he might not have survived otherwise*

*Wait, but I...*

*What you did helped keep him alive Kerenai, there's no doubt about that but somehow the weapons went past your shields and did enough damage to non-critical parts that critical parts were affected*

*Understood*

*Zoe, you're going to need to go to the station and make some sort of excuse for Tamura*

*Right, guess I'll have to think about something quickly then*

Fortunately Zoe succeeds in making up an excuse for Naoto and within three days he was back on duty

Present

*That was certainly an interesting time, and even then it took us another three months to find out about your unique abilities*

*That's because they weren't exactly needed, that and the fact that depending on the situation there's So. Much. Paperwork. I just really didn't want to deal with unless absolutely necessary*

*Hang on, we didn't have to deal with any paperwork when you revealed your powers to us though*

*That's because all the paperwork was on my end this time, as police officers you have basic clearance for my special abilities meaning that just using them in front of you doesn't force you to sign paperwork stating that you'll not tell anyone about said powers*

*You have to justify your use of powers in front of civilians every time it happens don't you?*

*Yep, when it happens only in front of officers there's not nearly the same amount of paperwork but unfortunately I do still have to deal with some of it*

*How much?*

*Not a lot, just mainly filling out an incident report that's combined with a police report if such is needed plus explaining in detail how many officers saw me use my abilities and why I needed to use them in the first place*

*Still, to think that we never knew about the chip until now...*

*That was Jiban's request guys, he has his reasons for that, let's just hope that we find him even without the chip working like it should be*

*Agreed, now then we still have an hour before we get back to training unless something comes up so since lunch is over with let's just do some backlog paperwork while Kerenai here can use the shooting range*

*Good idea, I need to get in some shooting anyways and the range at the base is currently down for everyone, the Cybertronians are not happy about that by the way so if you suddenly get requests from the smaller members of the Cybertronians to use your gun range don't be surprised*

*Understood, how long will the range be down anyways?*

*Um...not sure actually*

*Right we'll be on the lookout and warn other stations as well unless it's just your base that's having the problem*

*It's just this base fortunately*

*Got it, in any case though we really do have paperwork to do until we can get back to sparring unless something comes up*

*Right, I understand*

Thirty minutes later though the radio blazed to life and the officers had to rush out on an urgent case which involved a potential Bioron sighting and Zoe had overheard it because of the fact that she was in the office at the time due to the fact that there were a few reports that needed her signature on them as well that she had been unaware of at the time the reports were initially made

*I'm joining guys*

*But Kerenai...*

*No buts, Jiban taught me how to fight his enemies and that's what I'm going to do in his absence*

*Fine, just be careful*

*Will do*

The group gets to the fight and it ultimately takes them about fifteen minutes to deal with the enemy and that was with Zoe using her most powerful attacks

*Finally I was about ready to call in backup*

*I bet you were, at least things are calmer now though*

*Agreed, and now we all have paperwork to deal with and that means once I'm done I have to go home because the EDC needs to know about this*

*Right, want a ride back to base?*

*No thanks*

*Fine then, but you're getting a ride back to the station in any case*

*Understood I won't argue against that since I know better*

Once the report was done at the station Zoe went back to base and made her report for her family and the EDC and then helped in the search for Jiban

"Zoe, what if we don't ever find any trace of his chip?"

"Then we look the old fashioned way and hope that we find him alive"

"Very well let's hope it's soon"

"Agreed"

The group didn't know it at the time but it would be quite some time before they managed to actually get any leads regarding Jiban that were deemed solid leads in the meantime though they had plenty to keep them busy

*You know, one would think that with Jiban...missing Bioron would give us some sort of a break*

*Not likely Yoko, my family figured that the enemy would take advantage of the situation*

*Right, let's get going in the meantime*

*Agreed*

*For Jiban?*

*For Jiban*

And so the group fought Bioron for the first time without Jiban and while it wasn't easy they managed to do so and also deal with the emotional fallout from having to fight Bioron with the knowledge that Jiban wasn't going to come help bail them out

*Jiban...this is what you would have wanted right?*

*I'm sure it is Zoe, I'm sure it is*

*Yoko I...never mind*

*No Zoe, something's bothering you*

*That may be the case but I can't talk about it right now, maybe sometime in the future though*

*Maybe but...in the meantime I have a request*

*Let me guess, taking Naoto's place until he's available?*

*Yes*

*I'm sorry Yoko, but Naoto made a request that we're honoring which is that he's the only representative from the police, I know you want to help us now that he's gone at the moment but unless you decide to learn English for yourself and not a job we can't accept your help*

*But I...*

*Listen Yoko, it takes time to learn a new language, plus...well we have our reasons for not accepting anyone else from the police as a liaison*

*Understood but...I actually still want to come to base regularly to practice learning English because this is just for myself...mostly anyways*

*Yoko...*

*Look, there's a lot more tourists coming to Japan and many of these tourists are from English speaking countries, it would be nice to facilitate communication while waiting for an official translator*

*I see, makes sense actually*

*Plus well I...I've always wanted to visit America or Britain and...*

*Right, guess learning English will really help with that*

*Indeed it would*

*We'll send someone besides our liaison to the police here on a regular basis but for now you still aren't allowed on base, we have our reasons for that*

*Very well I understand and will comply with restrictions*

*Thanks, now then for now I have reports to write so I guess I'd best be getting back to base*

*Guess so, see you soon though Kerenai*

*Right, see you guys soon*

Two hours later and Zoe was finished with her reports

"Finished, now then make sure these also get to the police, there's some training suggestions in there that will help in the future I hope, training that's needed with Jiban...well you guys know"

"Right, we'll make sure to send these reports over immediately"

"Thanks, now then I need to get some training in myself so don't expect to see me until dinner time at the earliest"

"Understood, but still I think Ratchet has something to say regarding your training lately"

"Don't care Jazz, right now I need to get stronger so that I can protect Japan in Jiban's place, until he's found or he's confirmed dead I'm one of the only people who can fight against Bioron properly"

With that Zoe goes to the simulation room and does several hours of training and still doesn't feel like she was making much progress in being able to properly fight Bioron, this was because she was training not only with her powers but also without since she knew that the enemy might have a means of neutralizing her abilities at any given point

"Zoe, enough"

"No First-Aid, not yet, I'm not strong enough"

"Well for now it's time to eat so enough is enough, besides you have school tomorrow and I don't think you've done any homework recently"

"Yes I have, but in any case I didn't realize the time so I'll stop for the day"

"Good, now then wash up and then come join us for dinner"

"Understood"

A month later and the officers finally asked a question that Zoe had been expecting since she had first gotten to know Naoto nearly two years earlier

*Hey Zoe, how is it you're able to take and dish out hard punches and kicks?*

*I train with EDC training robots almost daily, after years of doing something like that you build up endurance and strength* (thinks) "though my powers also affect things and make me stronger than the average EDC kid who's had my level of training with regards to the training robot level I'm currently at"

*Oh, okay makes sense then*

*Indeed it does, how goes the language lessons anyways Yoko?*

*Slow, making time for practice and having someone come isn't as easy as I thought it would be*

*I'm sure it isn't, and quite frankly the only reason I know as many languages as I do is because for whatever reason languages come easily to me*

*Got it, so practice should still be a thing right?*

*Yes*

*By the way, superiors want to talk to you about your fighting Bioron a month ago*

*I thought they read the report?*

*They did, they still want to talk to you though for some reason*

*Fine I'll meet them tomorrow, but today I have some where's else I need to be*

The next day Zoe meets up with the police superiors and finds that what the police wanted to know was if she could have a pager for whenever there was a Bioron attack on her person and if she could also be part of the training that they were implementing for officers to learn how to fight Bioron

*Sure but...if I'm at school...*

*It's okay we'll talk to the school and figure something out for you I promise*

*Thanks and if I don't answer the call it's because something else more important is going on*

*But of course*

Zoe would keep the pager for the next two years when shortly after turning seventeen she decided to take the American GED which she knew would be accepted in Japan through a special agreement for EDC kids and passes said test graduating from High School

"Zoe, while we're happy for you why did you decide to push graduation forward by a year?"

"I can't stay in school any longer because I'm going crazy in there, I've not only learned everything I need to know to graduate already but I...I can't stay away from the Jiban investigation any longer, I can't, there's been too many times where me being involved in the investigation would have helped and you guys can't deny that"

"Okay, so what are your plans then?"

"Getting a job at the police station, I'm not going to try and join the police force at this time but I do want to work with them"

"Very well"

As it would turn out the police had been waiting for Zoe to graduate from high school before offering her a job, though they had expected the graduation to happen at eighteen and not seventeen

*Still, are you sure you can handle this Kerenai?*

*Oh yeah I can handle it*

*Very well then*

And with that and some paperwork Zoe was a junior police dispatcher and only two months into the job the group learned just how crazy she could get sometimes when dealing with a criminal because she wasn't a normal police dispatcher, depending on what was called in she was out in the field

*This guy is tough*

*What do you expect? It's an EDC enemy after all*

*You'll never catch me*

*Oh yes we will*

*I doubt it*

Suddenly a portal opens up behind the enemy and said enemy jumps through the portal right after it opens

*Get back here you creep!*

*Kerenai wait...don't!*

Zoe doesn't listen though and goes through the portal and lands hard

"Oof, oh man that isn't something I would want to repeat, now to find out where exactly I am...and maybe when too now that I think about it"

Zoe questioning where and more importantly when was because she didn't recognize any buildings around her

"But first I need a disguise to safely get around as a precaution"

Once she gets a disguise she ultimately finds out that she was in an alternate reality where her family didn't exist, but Jiban still did and it was the exact same year in this reality as it was in her reality though separated by a few months. She also found that she was in Japan through finding out what time it was

"At least I already know Japanese so that's going to be a big help, though I doubt people will actually believe my story"

Suddenly she hears the sound of fighting and quickly investigates only to find that Jiban was fighting Bioron alone and seriously outnumbered, but she unfortunately couldn't do anything and it annoyed her when all she could do was watch Jiban get captured

"Right, first things first, help the officers of this universe find Jiban...Jiban I wonder if in my universe you're alive after all this time"

Zoe quickly puts that depressing thought aside and manages to get one of her trackers on the escaping enemy

"Right now to reveal myself and manage to get involved in the investigation...maybe just mentioning I'm a witness to the fight will work"

As it turned out being a witness was indeed all it took to get her involved in the case and able to mention the tracking device she'd put on the retreating enemy

*How and why did you do that?*

*How I did it is a secret, as for why well...let's just say I know police officers where I come from and I don't take kindly to any officer being abducted*

*Then let's get going, can you get a trace on that tracker of yours?*

*Oh yeah I have a signal and am tracking now*

*How?*

*Secret, just follow me*

And so the group follows Zoe to the hideout and once there Zoe decides to quickly announce their presence

*Hey idiots!*

The group turns around and the leader speaks up

*But how did you find us?*

*We have our ways, now then my request can be done the easy way or the hard way*

*And just what request is that?*

*Give Jiban back now!*

*I don't think so*

*The hard way it is then, fair warning though, you're going to regret that choice you just made*

*Who says so?*

*Besides the group of police officers behind me you mean? I do*

*As if a kid like you scares us*

*First of all, I'm seventeen and second of all you're not the first person who's underestimated me because of my age, and that is a mistake you'll come to regret dearly*

*Actually Kerenai...if that really is your name anyways, they're kind of right just how are you supposed to help now?*

*Like this, Arranyan winds!*

Suddenly the chains holding Jiban up were cut and Zoe wasn't finished either

*That's not all either Arranyan swords*

Eventually the fighting was over with and Zoe knew she had questions to answer and answer them she did including the fact that she was from a completely different dimension

*We'll help you get home, I promise*

*Thanks, let's just hope...well maybe things will be alright considering my family is still back home and very few risk messing with them for reasons I'm not getting into*

The next three months weren't the easiest on Zoe but she dealt with them the best she could and then one day the same enemy that brought her to that reality returned and she fought it and when they opened a hole yet again she rushed towards it hoping beyond hope that it would be her reality that she returned to. Due to the fact that she was expecting the fall she landed on her feet this time around, but once again didn't recognize her settings

"Right guess I'm going to be on a enemy hunt first and figure out where I am later, sneaking time it is"

She starts to sneak around and when she hears footsteps she stops and when they stop she waits and sees if there's talking which there is

*It's been three months Yoko, are the Cybertronians still searching for Kerenai?*

*Yes, they think she's alive in another dimension, but contacting her has been impossible as of yet*

*I see, I guess...wait is that?...it's the creep who cost us Kerenai three months ago*

*Hold it right there you're under arrest!*

*I don't think so*

Zoe comes out of hiding knowing she was in her reality with her gun out

*The officer said you're under arrest*

*Kerenai!*

*Hey you two, explanations will be later, right now there's someone here that's needing handcuffs*

*I said, I don't think so*

The criminal manages to push past Zoe who breaks out into a run and shoots her weapon to try and injure the escapee enough to slow them down and while it doesn't work it does bring out backup who quickly also try and subdue the enemy, and eventually the plan does work and the criminal is handcuffed

*Finally, it's about time he was arrested*

*Agreed, by the way Kerenai you have some explaining to do*

*Don't I know it, listen I'll make a report at the EDC base and make sure that you guys also get it*

*Thanks*

And so Zoe gets a ride back to base and enters fairly casually but announces herself in a very obvious way

*I'm home guys*

*Zoe!, you're okay*

*Yeah, sorry guys, I was in a different dimension for three months, one where you guys don't exist as far as I'm aware but also one where...where they have Jiban with them*

*We'll find him Zoe, I promise*

*We've missed three months because of my stupidity*

*No we haven't, we kept up the search even while trying to find you, it's just that our leads haven't been as solid as we've hoped they would be*

*I guess still...to think it will have been two years as of tomorrow*

*Zoe, I'll repeat what I just said, I promise that we'll find him, and since when have I ever broken a promise?*

*You haven't as of yet Jazz but...you might be forced to this time simply because it's been so long already*

*Zoe, I don't think you understand what I'm saying, I'm not promising to bring him home alive, I'm just promising to bring him home, and if it involves having an honor escort due to his death then so be it but he is coming home either way*

*I...thanks Jazz I guess things have been a bit hard for me these past three months with living in a dimension where Jiban is alive and with friends and family*

*I'm sure it has, now then finish up writing your report and then you have work tomorrow*

*Nope, I go in and give them my report in person today and possibly get yelled at for my actions three months ago since there were officers who saw me today*

Once the report was given Zoe did indeed go to her job and was soon in front of her superior's

*Okay Kerenai new rule regarding you, no more portal jumps when you fight against an EDC enemy*

*Yes sir*

*And by the way what were you thinking when you did that?*

*Sorry, my main concern at the time was not letting him get away, but instead I left this dimension in danger with my actions, even with my family here to help you which mitigated the danger to a degree*

*It may have been your main concern but you now have direct orders regarding such a situation in the future*

*Understood*

Zoe is soon back to her normal routine of generally being a police dispatcher except in clear cases of either Bioron or EDC enemies being involved and soon enough she was eighteen


	7. Chapter 7

*Eighteen, congratulations for becoming an adult Kerenai*

*Thanks, I only wish...*

*We know, how's the search going anyways?*

*The Cybertronians have lost leads after going through as many of them as possible*

*I think...I think it's time to call off the search Kerenai, more than likely he's dead by now*

*Sorry but Jazz won't give up until he's brought home one way or the other and you won't get him to budge on that either due to the fact that he's Spec Ops*

*Okay yeah I have no hope of stopping him because I've worked with American Spec Ops in the past and they are determined to see the mission through no matter the cost*

*Exactly, in any case though I'll let them know not to intensify their efforts unless they have an extremely solid lead*

*Wait, they've been doing that this entire time?*

*Yep, whenever there's been a lead one or more of them chase said lead*

*Tell them to stop, also...you're going to need an actual apartment to live in soon*

*Why? I thought it was okay for me to live at base?*

*It has been but that was because you were a minor, our superior's want to know you can live on your own now that you're technically an adult and have been working with us for almost a year*

*Guess I'm going apartment hunting then*

And so Zoe tells her family about the request from the police regarding Jiban and also asks for help with beginning the apartment hunting and for two and a half months gets nowhere's when suddenly one day a newer police officer gives Zoe the answer she had been looking for the entire time

*Well maybe you could get an apartment meant for two people for when Tamura gets back, maybe be his grounding point and the person who helps him transition back to a normal life*

*Actually that's not a bad idea Kerenai, after all we're using his current place as a safe house and while normally it would be great to just have him back at his place...*

*You know somehow Yoko don't you?*

Yoko switched to English so that the conversation could be kept private since everyone in the room spoke only Japanese except for her and Zoe

"Yes, I had my suspicions a while back and his long absence has only confirmed them for me, especially since he disappeared in his one form and you've been covering for his other form"

"So you know how dangerous it would be for him to be by himself because of his other form"

"Yes I do"

"Still why didn't you come to base and confront us on our lie if..."

"Because I felt it better that I feign ignorance still for the safety of my fellow officers"

"I see"

"By the way the fact that you knew for sure before me is why he was your liaison wasn't it?"

"Yes, and it's also why we didn't want any new officer for a liaison either because you might have found out about his secret that he's tried so hard to keep this entire time"

"I get it, don't like it but I get it"

"In any case though I now have an idea of what apartments to look at"

"That's why you've been struggling isn't it?"

"Yeah, I knew I needed my own place but I was subconsciously thinking about him as well and it was affecting me in ways I didn't even realize, especially with the propriaty issues"

"Good point, I would have him stay with me for the time being until he found his own place but my place is even smaller than his original or even new place was"

"I remember the last time I was there I could barely..."

Suddenly Zoe looks at her phone after it sent the notification that she was receiving a text but then simply puts it away without seemingly acknowledging what the text was about

"What was that about Zoe?"

"Nothing serious I promise, for now though I think it's best we switch back to Japanese"

"Good point"

*Could someone inform the bosses that I have to leave early today?*

*I thought you were staying your full shift because of yesterday*

*That was the original plan but you know as well as I that they don't like me calling about apartment hunting during work hours and unfortunately the place I go to will be shut down for three days starting tomorrow so I have to book an appointment today for when they're open again besides that there's an EDC meeting that I just got texted about that's due to start during the last hour of my shift*

*I don't think we have to do that Kerenai, look*

Zoe looks and sees her boss come to the group and signals for her to get close

*Let me guess the EDC informed us at the same time about the meeting*

*Exactly Kerenai, you're leaving two hours early so that you have time to prepare for the meeting*

*Understood*

*Still, why is the meeting so sudden?*

*That I don't know, they normally wouldn't do that unless...*

*Unless what?*

*Unless something comes up that I'm not currently allowed to speak about*

*When will you know you can tell us?*

*Hopefully at the meeting*

*Understood*

And so an hour before the meeting was scheduled to start Zoe left her job for the day and made arrangements to see an apartment that might work better for her the following weekend when she was off and then finally the meeting started

"Hey Zoe, I know this was sudden but we have a reason for calling this meeting, and don't worry none of the leaders are in danger right now that we're aware of so it's not in regards to you taking leadership of us like their wills state, here I need you to look at this information to see what this meeting is about though"

Zoe does a quick flip through of the information and quickly sucks in air at shock

"How certain is this?"

"Certain enough that I'm sending in two of my more experienced members to confirm"

"Right, this goes no further than the EDC until confirmation"

"But Zoe..."

*No Sunstreaker, I can't give them false hope, it's bad enough that I'm dealing with hope they shouldn't have to deal with it too, not after they've mainly gotten past his disappearance*

*But Zoe...*

*Sunstreaker why are you still arguing against my decision?*

*It's not that I'm arguing it's just...don't you think someone besides yourself should know the news just in case something happens to you? I mean, I get you not wanting to give your comrades false hope but still... *

*Sorry Sunstreaker, but I have my reasons*

*Very well, I concede to your request, but if something happens to you that affects your ability to continue to make decisions all bets are off*

*Agreed*

*In the meantime though I think some training is in order since we haven't seen you in almost a week*

*I still live here guys, at least until I find an apartment, which might go better next weekend*

*But you haven't been training Zoe, and Sunstreaker is right, we really haven't seen you in almost a week because of your apartment hunting alongside your job*

*Very well we'll do some training*

And so the group did intensive training and then went back to normal routines and the next weekend Zoe found the perfect apartment with the second one she was shown in the same day

*I'll take this one*

*If you're sure but...you said that you're the only person who's staying here*

*For now anyways, I hope that one day soon a missing friend is found, when that happens I will have them live with me while they adapt back to normal society and also help them with any PTSD that they might have*

*Understood, just understand that you still have to pay the full amount for the apartment every month*

*Don't worry I can do that*

*Very well then I'll bring the required paperwork*

*Thanks, bring it to the police station and ask for Kerenai, I work at the station as a dispatcher and I have a shift beginning in two hours so I'd best get going*

And with that Zoe leaves the area and makes it to work an hour early

*You're early Kerenai*

*Yeah well I want to get in some shooting first, besides while it's not exactly official since I don't have a move in date or have signed the paperwork yet I have an apartment now and need to let the bosses know the new address*

*Ah, that makes sense*

And so after Zoe explained to the bosses about how she'd found an apartment but didn't have an official move in date quite yet she spent the rest of her time before shift doing target practice and she was shocking many of the newer officers with her accuracy, not just with fatal shots but they could also tell that she deliberately hit non vital areas as well

*She's scary accurate for a simple dispatcher*

*Yeah, really scary accurate*

*There's a reason for that actually, and that's the fact that she's not just a simple dispatcher*

*What?*

*She may not be an official police officer, probably because of her age but she fights in the field depending on certain situations*

*She doesn't look capable of handling incidents even if she's a good shot*

*When the time comes you'll see what I mean*

That afternoon was when the newer officers would see Zoe in action

*We need EDC backup here now!*

*What's going on? I need to know so that I can make the right call you know that guys*

*Linfarnins, Quintessons and...oh great Kal'strants*

*Right, backup on the way guys* (switches frequences) *Kerenai to all available EDC officers and Cybertronians backup needed in west Beika immediately, will already be on scene most likely*

As soon as she finishes talking she gets up and puts on her gun belt and then shouts before running

*I'm heading to the scene someone take over for me!*

And with that she runs out of the office and quickly gets to a car where she speeds out of the garage to head for the scene that was far enough away that she couldn't run and still have energy to do what was needed in battle and as soon as she got to the location she started firing her weapon which had special bullets and doing damage but eventually even with her family showing up soon after she had to use her powers to level the playing field and eventually end the fight with minimal losses or injuries to her family and officers

"That took long enough"

"Indeed it did, but still at least losses on our side were minimal I just wish..."

"Yeah Hook, I know, I also wish the same thing"

"Well we all have reports to write so I guess we'd best get going"

"Yeah, definitely"

And so Zoe goes back to her job and writes the much needed report and time passes while she waits for word if the lead panned out or not by moving into her new apartment and joining in on any Bioron or EDC fights while also simply being a police dispatcher whenever those two situations weren't in play and soon enough it had been a year since Jazz had sent his agents out and she was nineteen wondering when they would have further word

"When Jazz, when will they report in?"

"What's wrong Zoe?"

"I don't even know if the scouts you sent out are even still alive to follow the lead we had a year ago"

"They are alive Zoe, they have to give me regular status updates and while they haven't gotten any further regarding that lead they are looking into it"

"Fine then, in any case though I have work to get to"

"Right, see you after your shift for that thing that's going to happen that you need to attend"

"Right, see you after my shift"

And so Zoe goes into work as usual that day not knowing that she would have to deal with EDC and Bioron business that was kind of important. She was simply doing her usual police dispatcher duties when the word Bioron came over the radio and her superior who was right there simply nodded and took over for Zoe who quickly joined the fight and after an hour the fight ended

*Well, that takes care of them*

*True but still, with Bioron getting bolder without Jiban to stop them I worry about the future*

Suddenly they hear a deeply missed voice

*But I am here, I finally returned home after a long journey*

(Softly) *Jiban?*

Yoko turns and shouts the name everyone had been thinking of while shouting the name this time

*Jiban!*

Yoko starts to turn towards him but Zoe stops her with one of her shields, and voice

*Wait!, this isn't Jiban*

*What?*

*Indeed Zoe, how can you say it's not me?*

*I have my reasons, for one of them it's the fact that though no one else knew this Jazz sent two of his more well experienced agents to chase down a lead in the depths of space that Jazz felt was solid enough to do so, and as far as I know they haven't reported back yet telling us if the lead panned out or not. Second and more importantly though you have a very distinct smell that only I can detect because of my abilities*

Suddenly Zoe has a sword in her hand

*You're not Jiban, you're the female bounty hunter Gin'shre'an, you can take the form of anyone that you see either from a physical picture which my family sent out posters regarding Jiban so you would have easily gotten a hold of one of those posters, or you read the minds of people and can get a picture of what someone looks like from their mind*

*Hmph, didn't expect to run into someone who could smell me on this planet*

*You're lucky you didn't take the form of another person that these officers are missing or you would most likely be dead by now, now then I have one question and one question only, have you seen Jiban?*

*Not in person, just his silly picture*

*I see, then I have nothing further to say to you except that you're under arrest and that you can either come willingly or we'll fight it out*

*I choose the hard way*

*Your choice*

*Quick question before you go any further, is she wanted by the EDC?*

*Oh yeah, she's been on our wanted list for about five years now if not more*

*Then we're backing your play Kerenai and do our best not to get in your way*

*Thanks, now then Gin'shre'an by the authority vested in me by the EDC I hereby place you under arrest*

And with that the fight was on and after about fifteen minutes Zoe managed to win, but she also didn't actually succeed in arresting Gin'shre'an because ultimately she had to kill the bounty hunter to preserve her own life

*So much for arresting her*

*Yeah, she had information on some things that my family wanted, oh well it was either her or me in the end*

*By the way, you need checked out and have two different reports to write*

*Oh yeah, forgot about that shoulder injury*

*How do you forget a shoulder injury?*

*Training, though admititly it helped that there's no blood loss*

*In any case though it's the hospital for you and then paperwork*

*Right*

Ultimately Zoe was diagnosed with a potentially strained shoulder though doctors warned it could be worse than that and x-rays and other scans not revealing it to be the case

*Considering what we were told about the injury you're lucky it isn't dislocated*

*I know, now then I need to know something considering my shoulder, am I cleared for full duty or just desk duty?*

*For at least a week while we test that shoulder you're strictly on desk duty since I know what you're actually asking about seeing as how on your paperwork you stated that you're a police dispatcher, but I've heard your name from other officers Kerenai and you join in on certain incidents*

*Understood I'll let my bosses know*

*Good idea*

And so life continued on, as it turned out what happened to her shoulder wasn't exactly a strain, but it wasn't a full dislocation either, instead the shoulder was dislocated just enough to cause her pain but not enough to actually show up on any x-rays or other imaging devices meant to catch such injuries


	8. Chapter 8

*You're going to have to be careful for a while longer yet*

*Understood, at least the problem is now fixed*

*Good point*

Soon enough she was nineteen and a half and everyone was wondering the same thing, when would word be received about Jiban

"So...six months since we found out about Jazz's team huh?"

"Yes Yoko, I know we have to give them more time but...I still wish that we had word, or that Gin'shre'an had more information than just seeing his picture"

Suddenly Zoe's phone rings a particular tone and Zoe immediately answers it

"Hello?...hey Jazz what's wrong?...what?...you mean it?...how soon?...I see...okay...okay...yeah I can do that...okay see you then, can I tell the others?...understood...bye"

Zoe then turns to Yoko and switches to Japanese

*Sorry Yoko, I have to go deal with a family situation, if I can update you on it I will ASAP*

*I know*

And so Zoe goes to prepare her apartment for the possible arrival of Jiban after being gone for so long and also makes sure that all the reports that he would need to see were prepared into one concise report with a note stating that all the reports were collected in a package for him should he want to actually read all of them at some point and then told her superior's that she was needed by the EDC for two days at minimum

*Understood Kerenai, can you explain more?*

*Unfortunately not at this time*

*Very well, tell us when possible*

*I will, promise *

And so Zoe heads to base and does the preparations needed there for Jiban and then simply waits for the arrival of Jazz's scouts

*They're here*

And so the two scouts come off of the ship and first salute to Galvatron who was the only leader there since Optimus was in America while Rodimus had to deal with issues on Cybertron that Ultra Magnus didn't have the authority to deal with unfortunately and then they turn to Jazz and Zoe who were standing side by side

*We've chased the lead as far as we could and...Zoe this was all that we found along with what is known what happened to it's owner*

The male scout kneels and gives Zoe Jiban's weapon

*Jiban...what happened to him?*

*According to what we've heard he managed to escape his captors and started heading back to Earth, gaining passage through working on ships in exchange for a ride, he never showed photos of us Cybertronians except once and was going to allow him to be getting a free ride the rest of the way home but...*

The female scout was the one who continued the story

*But before full arrangements could be finalized such as when they would take off and Jiban arguing about buying supplies or working for the supplies that he needed to sustain himself his captors found him and there was a fight which Jiban lost, our allies tried to get to Jiban first so as to at least return his body home but the enemy...the enemy vaporized him instead*

*I see...I'm going to go to my bosses and leave my job which will be waiting for me upon my return*

*Zoe how can you know that for sure?*

*Because of an agreement that they made with me shortly after I turned eigteen and moved out on my own, if there's any solid lead on Jiban, or if he's killed without the ability to be brought home I can leave my job and join the EDC in bringing justice to Jiban's captors and/or killers*

*Zoe, what if you never return to your old job?*

*Then so be it*

*When will you tell them?*

*Two days from now, there's an operation going down tomorrow and they need both police dispatchers that are trained for such a thing and with me being who I am I'm one of them*

*Wait, so they're going to be down a necessary at times police dispatcher once you leave?*

*Yes, but that isn't as big a risk as you're thinking it might be since another dispatcher, one who's actually newer than me has expressed interest in dispatching what's going down tomorrow and they've also seen me leave my post to join in on EDC and Bioron calls and realized that there's a gap that needs filled for those situations*

And so two days after Zoe learned the ultimate fate of Jiban she requested an urgent meeting with her superiors

*You wished to see us?*

*Yes, effective immediately I am leaving the department to work with the EDC*

*Something's happened?*

*Yes, Jazz's scouts have returned with one of Jiban's weapons and stories of his death right as he was going to be able to come home finally, I need to bring his killers to justice and I can only do that with the EDC*

*Understood, your temporary resignation is accepted, however before you leave we have a request*

*What is it?*

*One last training session with the entire police department, we're going to run a simulation where something has happened to you and the rest of the officers have to figure out how to coordinate with the EDC without your help because quite frankly Kerenai, they haven't really learned how to do that with you as a dispatcher who goes to all EDC calls*

*I can agree to that, after all that's probably for the best*

And so an intensive training session later where lots of mistakes were made and corrected and Zoe was cleared to work simply for the EDC so as to bring Jiban's killers to justice, which for Zoe meant arresting them if at all possible and bringing them to trial on Earth

*Now remember not all calls will be easy and mistakes will be made, but if you keep your cool then in the end things will turn out okay, I promise*

*Thanks, but still, must you leave?*

*Due to the situation at hand yes*

*We'll miss you*

*I'm sure you will, but hopefully one day soon I'll be back and when I do return I hope to see everyone having grown from this experience in some way*

*Same here Kerenai, good luck at your new job...whatever it may be*

*Thanks, and hopefully someday you'll understand why I had to temporarily leave this job for another*

*So it is temporary?*

*Yes Yoko, as far as I intend it to be, it is indeed temporary, but unfortunately I can't explain yet why I have to leave for a different job, but our superior's know and understand my reasons*

*Then good luck from me as well*

The next day started Zoe's journey through the depths of space not knowing that she would be gone for several years and find a couple of surprises along the way, most of them good surprises but two of them bad. The first nasty surprise was that Bioron had managed to somehow get in touch with slave traders which is how they managed to team up with EDC enemies in the first place and that was where the EDC enemies took Jiban, a slave market

"A slave market! Jiban was sold to a slave market!"

"Meaning what Zoe?"

"Meaning that the people who killed and vaporized him could be anywhere's by now"

"And there's the fact that we don't know who he was even sold to"

"Oh...that's a problem, but why didn't my scouts tell me about that?"

"They probably didn't know Jazz, the universe is huge and quite frankly we weren't even aware that the enemies that Bioron teamed up with even knew about the intergalactic slave market as far as I'm aware"

"Good point, this could take longer than you thought Zoe"

"I know, but I vowed to bring Jiban's killers to justice and that's what I'm going to do"

"Zoe I think I need to ask this before we go any further, what is your version of justice?"

"They're found, arrested and put on trial back on Earth where a jury of Jiban's peers will make the ultimate decision on their punishment unless they resist arrest to the point that there's no other option but to kill them"

"Let's hope you keep those thoughts in the forefront when it's time to confront them"

"I will"

"In any case the search continues then"

"Agreed"

A month later and the first good thing to happen to the group was discovered after the blow that had been dealt to them a month earlier. Omega Supreme who had been thought dead since Zoe was only eight years old was found in a gladiator tournament with his freedom being on the line that day

"I'll fight for his freedom should he lose"

"But Zoe..."

"No buts, he's being freed today and that's final"

"That's not it, are you sure they'll allow late entrances and what you are asking for?"

"They will because of what's on this flier I have"

And so the group reads the flier and realizes that Zoe was correct and that she could not only enter the tournament that day but also ask for Omega Supreme's freedom and that's exactly what she does since Omega Supreme lost his fight, first she enters the tournament and states her ultimate reward for winning said tournament and then starts fighting in all of her designated rounds and was winning while inhibiting herself by making sure that her powers were sealed during the tournament. Finally though she was told that it was the final round and she was relieved that since he lost Omega Supreme was not allowed to continue in the tournament unlike a couple of other people she'd fought (this was because of the fact that she didn't know about a triple elimination rule that was in effect for this tournament due to the fact that the tournament was actually several days long and Omega had lost his third elimination round on the last day of the tournament which was the day she'd entered said tournament). Once she saw her opponent though she realized that this wasn't going to be an easy fight due to the fact that he was three times her size easily

"Okay, you're a big person"

"Yes, such is the nature of my species"

"Are you here willingly or by force?"

"By force, I was captured and sent here many years ago, but I know who you really are and why you're fighting, I can wait a little longer for my freedom, but your friend may not survive if he fights for much longer under the conditions he's forced to fight in"

"Don't throw the fight though because they'll notice, if I lose so be it"

"I know I can't throw the fight, doesn't mean I have to go full out on you because I will kill you if I do"

"Wait you're allowed to limit yourself to half strength so that your enemies survive?"

"Yes, these aren't death matches after all"

"Then let's go"

And so the two fought long and hard, long enough that the match ultimately had to be in bouts of fifteen minutes after a full two hours of them going at it because Zoe was simply that skilled even with her abilities inhibited

"You're better than I thought all things considered"

"You're not half bad yourself"

"Okay you two, to your places"

And so the two went back to their posts and started yet another round of fifteen minutes of fighting, but the thing was even with fifteen minute breaks both of them were getting tired and both of them had plenty of bruises. There was also the fact that while both were doing their best to seriously avoid killing each other Zoe had been deliberately holding back in regards to her full strength so as to keep from being noticed by the event coordinators who might try and keep her there despite the agreement, but finally she'd had enough and decided to truly go full out with her powers inhibited and suddenly one of her kicks broke the arm of her opponent and it was a very obvious break too, she then quickly proceeded to shatter the left kneecap so as to prevent her opponent from ever being able to properly fight again (at least make everyone think that was the case because she knew that she or her family would be able to deal with the shattered kneecap easily)

"I concede, I can't fight anymore"

"Which makes you useless, if your opponent decides to keep you then they can, otherwise you know what happens to fighters who are useless"

"Yeah, I know"

Zoe didn't like the tone she was hearing and spoke up

"I accept him into my care so long as it doesn't interfere with my ultimate prize request"

"It won't, the robot Omega Supreme is now yours as well to do with what you wish, though I don't know what you'll do with a useless fighter"

"I'll figure something out"

As soon as Omega Supreme sees his new master he instantly realizes what was going on and also makes sure that he doesn't show he recognizes any of the EDC officers or the person who was obviously an adult Zoe. As soon as they were a good distance away though Zoe quickly hugs Omega's leg


	9. Chapter 9

"It's good to see you Omega, you've been thought dead for several years now"

"I expected as much, what exactly do you want me to do?"

*Good question Zoe, he might be more helpful on your search but at the same time...*

*I know Jazz, let me think for a moment*

After a few minutes Zoe had obviously made up her mind

"Okay so here's the plan, Omega, you and I are going to take...uh I just realized I never actually caught your name big guy"

"Linsaranato"

"Right, Omega and I will be taking you home and then Omega is going back to Earth, no wait actually you're heading to Cybertron first Omega, just remembered that Ratchet and First Aid are both stuck there for at least another six months for reasons I never caught. While we take Linsaranato home though we're going to let the rest of the family know that you're alive, once that's done I will find a way to rendezvous with the rest of the group to continue our own mission"

"Thanks Zoe, but what good am I going to be to my family like this?"

"We'll heal you on the way home big guy, either Omega will be able to or I will be able to but either way you'll be back home and completely healed I promise"

"By the way, what exactly are you doing out here Zoe?"

"Jazz, you get to explain the full situation to Omega while I start seeing what all, besides what I've done, has happened to Linsaranato"

And so Omega is given a full update on what was going on and that's when another sort of good thing happened to the group, when Omega was shown a picture of Jiban he gasped

"What is it?"

"I know him, I never learned his name but I fought him once"

Zoe who had managed to hear that part spoke up

"When?"

"Zoe?, what is it?"

"Omega please, I have to know when you fought him"

"At least two years ago"

"I see, then ultimately nothing about my mission has changed"

"Zoe?"

"He's dead Omega, don't know how long but I found out about two months ago"

"Then I should stay and help"

"No, you need to report back to the Primes and Galvatron once Linsaranato is home, they'll decide your mission from there after you're cleared by Ratchet or First Aid"

"Understood"

"Wait, while your data is two years old it might still be useful, what are the coordinates of the fight you two had?"

And so Omega shows the group the coordinates and then he and Zoe take Linsaranato home with Zoe being the one to heal all of his injuries

"Thanks Ms. Kerenai, for allowing me the chance to come home"

"You're welcome, I just wish I could have done more for the other fighters"

"Some day there will be change, I promise, more and more of the slaves being forced to fight are talking about a revolt, and the events are being found by police more often too somehow which is breaking up the slave rings and thus the gladiator rings"

"I see"

"Still, maybe I can..."

"No, you deserve to be home just like all the other slaves, you've suffered enough"

"Very well, but if I find word on your friend's killers I'm sending word immediately, and if my family allows it I'm joining in on the hunt"

"I won't stop you, and I know you can fight but be careful if you do just that, we don't want you recaptured and needing to be freed from the gladiator rings again"

"I understand, good luck finding your friend"

"We won't find him, but his killers are another story, they'll be found, arrested, and tried on Earth for their crimes"

"Well I'll help you if I am allowed and can, here's my frequency to call me if you need to"

And with that the two left and rendezvoused with the rest of the team before Omega continued on to Cybertron

"So, time to follow those coordinates"

"Indeed, let's hope they lead us to our ultimate goal"

"Agreed"

Three months later and they would come across the second nasty surprise, pirates which managed to damage their ship severely enough that once they landed on a planet they could no longer use it for travel of any kind safely

"Now what?"

"Good question, I think we might need to barter for our ride"

"This is going to take a while"

As it turned out though it didn't take as long as suspected due to the fact that one of the Cybertronian allies were in the area, recognized Jazz and had a solution to their dilemna within two weeks

"This ship is now forever yours you guys, and you can protect yourselves from the pirates in this area and any other that you might come across"

"Thanks, and...pass the word that we're looking for the killers of this guy, if possible they're to be arrested and sent to Earth for trial"

The group shows a photo of both Jiban and his killers as far as the group was aware they looked liked anyways

"We'll keep an eye out we promise"

"Then I guess it's time we started our search again"

And so the group continues the search and soon enough it had been a year since Zoe had started traveling the universe with the EDC to find Jiban's killers and each lead they followed gave them another lead to follow that was considered solid enough to continue their mission

"So, a year huh?"

"Yeah, so much has happened, we lost our first ship but gained another, found and saved Omega, we've gained many allies and...well we keep getting closer to our ultimate goal"

"Yes, we do indeed keep getting closer to our ultimate goal"

"In any case we should...Jazz we're about to be boarded, I've received an intergalactic message that states we are to stay in position or be fired upon"

"But who?...oh okay I know what's going on, just follow my lead everyone and it will all turn out okay"

And so the group that sent the signal for boarding boarded and Jazz gave the intergalactic peace greeting and explanations about who they were and then the entire group was shocked when the group responded back in English

"Understood, do you want to introduce us then?"

"Probably for the best, everything is good guys, these are intergalactic police officers who decided to board us on suspicion of piracy, but I explained who we were so instead they'll simply be doing a safety inspection"

"Also, what are humans doing so far away from home?, I get that some of them are EDC officers what with Jazz the Cybertronian here but one is obviously not"

"We're looking for the people who killed this person"

Zoe shows Jiban's picture and one look was all it took for everyone to cue in that something was up

"What is it officers?"

"It's just that, either we've seen an extremely good look alike or that person isn't as dead as you think they are because we've seen them"

(Sighs) "I might have a very good reason behind that, but first I need to know exactly when you saw this possible look alike"

"About two months ago"

"Two months your time or two months Earth time because those are potentially two very different things"

"Two months Earth time"

"Then...then as of two months ago, if it really is him, he was alive, where did you see this person?"

"During a raid on a combined illegal gladiator ring and slave trading ring, they managed to get a tip off that we were coming but not soon enough that we couldn't free some of the slaves there, though that person was being hauled away in a cage when we arrived"

"Do you have anyone really good at going undercover?"

"We have several people"

"Then...if I may make a request"

"What is your request and I'll make a decision based off of that"

"Could you send people undercover while spreading this picture around to said undercover agents, along with a message?"

"Of course, if you're out here searching for this person then they must be important"

"Then here's the message, once your people confirm that it is him, his name's Jiban by the way, tell him that Kerenai and her family are looking for him and will follow any and all leads until he's safely with us once more"

"Will do, and we'll contact you if we find him or his captors and then turn them over to you guys"

"Thanks, though depending on various factors we might ask you guys to act as guards for the prisoners"

"And we'll gladly do so"

And so the officers do their inspection which they pass and then six months later was the second best day ever in Zoe's mind since this whole journey started, Jazz received a private comm that he decided he would speak his half out loud

"Jazz here go ahead...really?...I see...okay...okay...where's the location?...okay we're on our way Jazz out"

Jazz then turns to Zoe and switches to Cybertronian

*He's been found Zoe, an officer managed to get into the same circuit as him and there was a raid at said officers signal and he's free, Jiban is currently being checked out at a medical facility and will be waiting for us at said facility as a guest once he's medically cleared*

*Then what are we waiting for?, let's go*

And with that Jazz inputs the coordinates and after several more months, on Zoe's 21st birthday she sees Jiban in person for the first time since she was fifteen

"Jiban...Jiban!"  
She rushes up to him and then switches immediately to Japanese

*I've missed you so much*

*I'm sure you have, I'm sorry it took so long to be able to return home*

*Not your fault, though admittedly there's going to be a lot of paperwork to get you declared alive in your two identities...again*

*Couldn't be helped unfortunately, and I suspected that I was declared dead some time ago so I'm ready for the paperwork*

*Good, now then are you cleared to leave?*

*Yes, I was cleared within a week of my arrival*

*Then let's go home*

*Home...that sounds nice*

*Yeah, and once we're home we both have training to get to, you need basic retraining possibly while I need to go through the entire police academy since I've finally decided to become a full-time police officer instead of a dispatcher*

*Wait, what?*

*Yeah there's a lot you need caught up on, but more importantly you should know you don't have to worry about finding a place to live immediately*

*Really?*

*Yes Jiban, you're going to be staying at my place until you feel ready to move out on your own, it's a two bedroom apartment that I deliberately got for the day you were found...though I admit I did start losing hope when your weapon was found along with the story of your vaporization*

*Still, are you sure you'll still have it when you return?*

*Yeah, it's being used by the EDC as a safehouse at the moment at my request, kind of like what you did with your place*

*In any case you two let's get going so that we can get home and deal with all the paperwork that needs dealt with*

*By the way my captors were arrested if you weren't aware of it and they are here*

*Then we'll ask the intergalactic officers for help in escorting them back to Earth*

*Which we're prepared to do, we have a prisoner transport ship ready and waiting for your signal*

*Then give them the signal and once they arrive we'll get going*

And with that the group departs and on board is when they celebrate Zoe turning 21

"Happy birthday Zoe"

"Whoa, I didn't even remember my own birthday"

*I remembered*

"Uh Jiban, is it just you wanting to speak your native language or can you only speak in Japanese while still understanding English completely?"

*Bit of both actually, I'm enjoying speaking my native language but... the problem is I've been doing that since shortly after my rescue and the medics don't know how to correct that problem *

"Okay, how have you been communicating with the staff this entire time knowing that you don't know intergalactic languages?"

*Fortunately I can still write in English and one of the intergalactic officers stayed with me the entire time to help facilitate communication*

"That would definitely help, I think we may need to make a stop on Cybertron first though so that Ratchet or First Aid can look at you"

"I thought they would be back on Earth by now Jazz"

*Omega, his injuries were worse than initially expected and his repairs are taking longer because of that*

*Is Omega no longer field capable?*

*We're not sure yet*

*Understood*

Because Jazz and Zoe had spoken in Cybertronian no one knew about Omega possibly not being field capable anymore

"In any case they can check on you there and deal with any issues that I can't"

*Understood*

Ultimately Jazz would be unable to deal with the language issue, which frustrated Naoto but he also understood that there was little that could be done to change it. Six months later the group made it to Cybertron (due to the fact that since on the way to where Jiban ultimately was they had to make several stops and a winding path while the route home was more direct so it took less time)

"There's Cybertron, I called ahead and First Aid is there and waiting at the medical facilities for you Jiban, hopefully the rest of the damage can be repaired then which means you'll be able to speak English whenever you want"

"Indeed, and thus since you were told about Yoko speaking English you can keep each other in practice"

*Yes, why did she start anyways?*

*It truly was for herself, but it helps in her job too*

*Are there any other liaisons from the police to the EDC?*

*No, we've refused one ever since...*

*Since I was taken?*

*Yeah, to keep your secret mainly but there were other reasons as well that we never really explained to your fellow officers*

*I see, guess once I am cleared for active duty again I'm the liaison once more*

*With rules this time around*

*For my safety?*

*Yes*

*Makes sense*

An hour later and Naoto was able to speak English or Japanese at will, it turned out that while the people who found and rescued him had done a pretty good job dealing with his injuries there were shorted out wires that they weren't aware of and thus couldn't replace that dealt with Naoto's ability to talk in the two languages that he could speak, thus his programming prioritized his ability to speak his first language of Japanese while relegating English to a nonessential section where it made it impossible to speak any English, but because he was around intergalactic police officers who spoke English due to past work with the EDC his programming allowed him to write in English at the very least

"Come on you two let's get you home"

"Home...yes let's go home I don't mind the paperwork I have to sign to be declared alive again and the training I'll have to go through again, just seeing my friends again will be good enough for me right now"

"Jazz, do they know about Naoto?"

"No, we haven't told them anything as a precaution"

"Jaaazzzz..."

"Hey blame the Primes and Galvatron for that decision Zoe, they didn't want to create any false hopes considering..."

"Oh...that probably was a good idea actually now that you reminded me about that"

"What's going on you two?"

"It's just, there's been times after your disappearance and eventual declared death that the police were told about leads, the last time that happened and the lead didn't really go anywhere's the entire force got seriously depressed and it was decided that unless you were well and truly home they wouldn't get any more updates about you"

"Oh, so about how long until we reach Japan?"

"About two months of travel altogether"

"Understood"

"By the way, there's something you need to know Naoto that I completely forgot"

"What is it?"

"Yoko knows about you"

"Um...what are you talking about exactly?"

"She knows that Jiban and Tamura Naoto are one and the same"

"Oh, that secret, I'm fine with her figuring it out...that is if she did figure it out and no one actually told her"

"She figured it out on her own"

"Then that's fine, I always thought she might have figured it out"

Two months later and Naoto was back in Japan in several years while Zoe was back after about two and a half to three years

*I'm home everyone*

*Welcome home Zoe, Jiban we have a question, do you know about your living arrangements?*

*Yes, but I need some things before I actually move in Zoe*

*Kind of figured that Naoto that's why I factored in shopping before both of us reporting in to work*

*So, a day of shopping to get me what's needed and then we reveal my presence?*

*Yes*

*Guess I'm going to your...I mean our place tomorrow to see what all I need but I think that for tonight we're staying on base*

*Agreed, I did that even after I moved out on my own because of late meetings or simply because I wanted to spend time with my family*

The next day and after Naoto had seen what all was already in Zoe's apartment (which was basically enough cookware, plates, bowls, utensils and a bed in both rooms seeing as how Zoe had no tv or couch) the group went shopping for what Naoto wanted in his room and they also got a tv and couch for both of them to use should they want to watch a movie or the news and doing all the needed shopping did take half the day


	10. Chapter 10

"Say Naoto, want to do some practice of your English by watching one of my movies that has Japanese subtitles if you so choose but is spoken entirely in English?"

"Sure, what about Yoko?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea, tomorrow is soon enough"

"But..."

"Listen Naoto, she's been through too much regarding you to shock her with you being alive, she thinks you're dead and according to reports that I receive that you didn't she's been through a lot lately and can't handle much more shock, it's for her own good that she's told with the rest of your fellow officers tomorrow, as it is we're going to have to go in super early to inform our superior's about our return"

"Right, this is going to get interesting"

"No kidding"

Early the next day Naoto was up first and slightly disoriented due to the fact that he'd spent his first night in his new shared apartment, he then heard Zoe moving around

*Morning Zoe*

*Morning Naoto, coffee should be done soon, breakfast should be done soon as well*

*You look tired*

*I'm not necessarily a big fan of super early mornings, I can get up early for sure and if there's an alarm of any sort I react to it properly, but that doesn't mean I have to like being up as early as we are*

*Good point*

Fifteen minutes later and the two were out the door and getting into Bluestreak who had volunteered to be their ride until they regained their driver's licenses back and managed to sneak into the station with no one noticing them

"I think I'm going to be speaking to them about security issues after our conversation"

"I'll join you for that conversation, even when I was Jiban the security was better than what I'm seeing now and never dared tried to enter the station in said form if it could be avoided"

"No, our superior's don't know about you as far as I'm aware"

"I can talk to them in my Naoto form Zoe, this is because I did occasional security tests as Naoto as well"

"Okay, well let's go in, me first and then when I call for you, you come in"

"Agreed"

And so Zoe knocks and then waits to be acknowledged and once she is she simply goes into the room to the shock of her superior's

*Kerenai, when did you get back?*

*About two days ago, I had to get some things yesterday so that's why I didn't let you know sooner*

*Then...then have you found Jiban's killers and brought them back like you promised?*

*Um, yes and no in a way*

*Kerenai?*

*We did find the people who managed to take Jiban away from us but...they weren't his killers*

*If they weren't his killers than why are you home?*

*Because it turns out that Jiban wasn't actually killed*

*What?*

*Jiban is alive, and waiting outside the office right now, we've brought Jiban home and his captors back to Earth for trial for what they did to him and others since the EDC is going to be in charge of the trial*

*He's truly alive?*

*Yes, shall I call him in*

*Not quite yet, there's something we want to ask you, and then something we want to ask him with you here*

*What is it you wish to ask simply me?*

*Will another incident like this happen in the future?*

*My family is going to do their best to make sure that what happened before doesn't happen again, there are going to be rules and security put into place to ensure we don't lose Jiban as easily as last time*

*Very well, send Jiban in*

Zoe gets Jiban since Naoto had decided to go in his Jiban form for the reason that Jiban had been the one seen captured all those years ago and not Tamura Naoto

*Jiban, first of all it's good to see you alive, second of all there's something we need to know*

*What is it?*

*Are you Tamura Naoto?*

*Why are you asking him that?*

*Because it's the only thing that makes sense for why Tamura Naoto disappeared at the same time Jiban was captured, your family has been doing a good job covering for him Kerenai but it isn't perfect, not after so many years of the same story being used every time we ask*

*Then yes I am Tamura Naoto*

Naoto returns to his human form with that one sentence

*We were right, now then is there anything you want to talk to us about before the shift starts and we do the whole paperwork mess for Tamura and paperwork for you to resume your job?*

*Yes, two things, first of all I want to apply to the police academy, the second issue is more for Naoto to discuss*

*Security is lacking, we snuck in here way too easily for a police station*

*Oh that issue, don't worry it's not what you think it is, but we can't explain it quite yet, but come this afternoon we should be able to*

*Understood, I also need to talk about retraining that needs done for me*

*Okay Zoe goes for the full academy experience, you're being placed in an accelerated class that a few other officers are about to start as well due to circumstances beyond our control with them needing the retraining that you also need Tamura*

*So, when are we telling my fellow officers about my return?*

*This afternoon is a better time to do that, we need to prepare your unit specifically Tamura because they've been through a really rough time lately regarding your situation, even if it's only your Jiban form that's been the primary source of pain*

*Okay, I can wait that long, but maybe you guys can allow Zoe to get back to work today*

*Nope we need to process her paperwork first, plus we need to get started on the paperwork needed to get you declared alive...again*

*Good point, the Cybertronians couldn't help this time because of factors that they couldn't explain to me*

*Good point I forgot that they sometimes help with the paperwork so let's get started*

And so a lot of paperwork was started and then that afternoon was the meeting where Naoto and Zoe would be revealed to not only be alive but having returned since for Zoe the job simply believed that her self assigned mission was still going on since they got regular status updates about her from the EDC, including one shortly before she arrived on Cybertron

*You called a meeting sir?*

*Yes Yoko, first of all Zoe Kerenai has returned home and is safe*

Everyone started talking so the chief let them settle down before continuing

*I also have news regarding Jiban who was last seen several years ago being taken away by enemies of the EDC and who we've had hopes dashed in regards to his return several times now. I now report that our hopes are no longer dashed, that he's been found alive by the EDC and has returned home, Zoe, Jiban come on out*

Zoe and Jiban were greeted enthusiastically and then Yoko spoke up so as to bring up a topic without making anyone suspicious

*Sir, have you heard from the EDC about Naoto lately?*

*Yes actually, he should be returning either at the end of this week or sometime next week*

*It'll be good to see him again after so long with that special assignment from the EDC*

*Indeed*

Only Zoe, the higher ups, Yoko, and Jiban knew the truth regarding the Naoto statement, that Naoto hadn't been on special EDC assignment but had been captured and presumed dead along with Jiban since Jiban and Naoto were one and the same

*It's good to have you back Kerenai*

*It's good to be back, but this is only temporary I'm afraid*

*You have to go away again so soon?*

*Yes, it's the only way to become a full fledged police officer after all*

*Oh, you're going to go to the academy then?*

*Yes*

*Then that's okay, at least we know where you'll be and we know you'll be safe at the academy*

*True enough, but I think it's going to take a least a month for all the paperwork to go through to allow me to attend the academy so until then I'll return to my current job within the police*

And so the next week Naoto returns and it's explained that since he'd been away from the police force this whole time helping the EDC he would be given some retraining that was accelerated so that he could return to work as quickly as possible

*It's good to have you back after so long Naoto*

*Yeah, it's good to be back, sorry the EDC needed me for so long, neither of us thought that would be the case but...*

*But things happened and you being gone as long as you were became a thing*

*Yeah*

Soon enough both Naoto and Zoe were heading to the academy for their respective training and Naoto was back to his old job and station within a month

*So...how long until Zoe returns again?*

*Two months from now if everything continues on schedule Aoko*

"You sure about that Naoto?"

"Yes Yoko I'm sure, by the way EDC says that you're now allowed to also be a representative like me seeing as how you know the truth about me"

"Let me guess paperwork kept me from being cleared sooner right?"

"Yep"

"Does Kerenai know about this?"

"Yes in fact she was the one who insisted on it"

"Wonder why"

"Maybe it's because of the fact that between you already knowing about me and the fact that the EDC didn't have as much information as when they had an actual police liaison Zoe realized that even if something ever happened to me again, which we're trying to prevent by the way, they still need a police liaison"

"Oh, makes sense then"

"In any case Zoe will be the primary liaison which makes sense because of her connection to the EDC but we'll also be liaisons as a precaution"

"That works for me, but I think I need some EDC training if I'm going to be a liaison"

"We know, and I'll be the one to give you that training"

"Not entirely Naoto, I want the EDC to do some of the training anyways"

"Sorry I should have been more concise on my explanation of the training, I'll only be doing the majority of the hand-to-hand combat training, the EDC will handle the rest of the training"

"And when Zoe returns from police training..."

"Exactly, she'll keep us in practice"

"Works for me"

*What exactly are you two talking about?*

*Sorry Chief having a private conversation that you're not cleared for*

Yoko simply looks at Naoto who switches to English

"It's true and you know it Yoko"

"That may be the case Naoto but you also know that we can't do that too often or they might start getting suspicious and learn English just to listen in"

"Good point, that's it private conversations at my place or yours unless something comes up at work"

"Agreed"

*Anything I need to know you two?*

*No sir, just making an agreement regarding security things is all, is there a case for us?*

*No but I am thinking of sending you both out on patrol to ease Naoto back into routine*

*Works for me*

The next two months were actually fairly easy and once Zoe graduated she quickly slipped into place with Yoko and Naoto with the three of them forming a strong team

*Kerenai, Tamura, Yoko there's a case that's confusing that might be Bioron or it might not be though we know for a fact that for now the EDC isn't involved*

*Understood*

Ultimately the case was a simple one and not any Bioron or EDC involvement was detected however three months later the group got split up because the EDC and Bioron enemies were involved and yet again tragedy would hit the police and EDC. Yoko, Zoe and Naoto had gotten separated when their enemies split up into three different groups and Yoko finished her group first and headed straight for Zoe since she was the closest and managed to see Zoe collapsed and bleeding

"Zoe!"

Yoko kneels at Zoe's side and turns her over to her back since she had been laying on her stomach at the time


	11. Chapter 11

"Yoko...get this...to Jiban...he'll need it"

Zoe hands Yoko a necklace

"Not before I get you medical attention"

"Yoko!...listen to me...Jiban will die...if he doesn't...doesn't get...the necklace"

"But you'll die if you wait too long"

"Go...I'll call...for help myself"

"Alright, stay alive"

Yoko runs to the battle and then calls out to Naoto in Jiban form

*Jiban!, take this, it's from Kerenai!*

Yoko throws the necklace to Jiban who catches it and as soon as he puts in on he feels Zoe's special powers flowing through him and realizes that she had somehow managed to transfer her abilities to the necklace to give the wearer her own abilities and he uses that power immediately

*Arranyan winds!*

Eventually the battle ends and the two rush to Zoe's last known location and they could instantly tell that things weren't good because there were a couple of fellow officers and they were all looking grim

*Yoko, Jiban, the ambulance just took Zoe to the hospital but...*

*It's not good is it?*

*No, the medics weren't sure she'd even survive the trip to the hospital*

*Then let's go and see*

*Jiban, you need to head to the EDC base for treatment, we'll tell the EDC when we have further news so that they can tell you should you need treatment for longer than what we're there for*

*Understood*

And so Naoto goes to the EDC base for treatment and was sedated for two days to allow Ratchet and First-Aid in rotating shifts to complete the needed repairs, when he woke up he saw Yoko sitting next to his bed

*Naoto, it's...it's good to see you awake*

"How's Kerenai?"

"She...she's dead Naoto, she died before she could get to surgery"

"I see, I need to talk to her family about something and then..."

"Yeah, and then, her funeral's in two days by the way, according to Ratchet and First-Aid you'll be able to attend"

"How did her family take the news?"

"Not the greatest let me tell you, but the leaders are doing their best to act strong, but I know for a fact that they grieve whenever possible in private"

"I can imagine"

Once released from the hospital Naoto decides to wait until after the funeral to have the discussion he needed to have with Zoe's family

"You wished to speak to us in private Naoto?"

"Yes, the day Zoe died she...she basically gave me her powers through the necklace I now wear, I was wondering if you wanted the necklace back and thus her powers back"

The Cybertronians realize what Naoto was actually asking them about and they decide to talk privately to discuss the situation that they had been avoiding the entire time he had been unconscious and finally Optimus was the one to speak up

"Keep the necklace and the abilities that come with it Naoto, we'll help you train like we helped our daughter train in the use of her powers"

And so Naoto begins regular training with his newfound powers thanks to Zoe, during that training the EDC and police do their best to hunt down the rest of the group that had killed Zoe but so far hadn't had much luck

*Hey you two, any luck regarding the situation with Kerenai's killers?*

*No and the EDC isn't very happy about it either as you can guess*

*Understood, by the way what's with all the extra time at base Tamura?*

*That's private sir*

*Very well*

The group gets a case involving Bioron and while they don't solve it immediately they do eventually succeed in defeating the enemy and solving the case at the same time

"Naoto, is it just me or does it seem like Bioron has been getting bolder ever since they joined forces with EDC enemies?"

"It's not just you, even with no EDC enemy involvement this time it's like they think they can call those enemies in at any time and be answered positively"

"Which makes me wonder if they have a deal of some sort with EDC enemies"

"Agreed, guess we're going to the EDC base and asking them to investigate such a possibility"

"But not before we report our findings to our superiors"

"Good point, why are we taking the long way then Naoto?"

"Simple, there's something I want to check first"

"Understood"

Yoko found out that Naoto wanted to check a building out real quick to make sure that he was correct about structural integrity before making a report on it

"So...what was that about?"

"Needed to check the integrity of that building for a report and I need to let the bosses know they need to let the right people know that the building needs to be condemned due to unsafe conditions"

"Right, forgot that inspecting buildings for such issues was one of your jobs after...well you know"

"Indeed I do, now then to get back to the station and make our report"

"Right"

The two return to the police station and write their report on the case while Naoto also writes his report about the building he checked that needed to be condemned for safety reasons

*I understand Naoto, we'll see that the proper people deal with that building as quickly as possible*

*Thanks*

*By the way you two, this is a bit unrelated but...have you two seen Jiban in battle lately?*

*Oh is it about the abilities he suddenly has?*

*Yes, they are very similar to the one's Kerenai used to have before...*

*Yeah, she gave me a necklace to give to Jiban before...well in any case he started using those abilities immediately afterwords so I guess the necklace sort of...well transferred Kerenai's abilities to Jiban, at least to a degree from what I can tell*

*I see, I'll warn the officers to be careful then because she's mentioned in the past how dangerous her abilities can be, mentioned why she generally calls out her attacks unless complete silence is needed for success*

*Good idea*

*Also...my office you two, now*

The two head to the office and then simply wait for their superior to speak up again

*Naoto, how could you not tell us something so important when we know the truth about you?*

*I'm still training, plus I don't think it's wise for many people to know this right now, and how come we're talking about this in front of Yoko?*

*Because Yoko knows you're Jiban, we know that for a fact so don't bother to deny it*

*Okay that makes sense, but he's telling the truth by the way, it really is best that not many people know about his abilities so that we can surprise said enemies as much as possible*

*Very well, by the way I was wondering something, are you ever going to use the abilities in your Tamura form or not?*

*Not sure yet but I don't think so, not if it can be helped at all so that no one connects me with Jiban*

*Understood, by the way have you guys had any more leads about...*

*No, and trust me that's making the situation worse*

*I can only imagine what it's like for them, after all...it's their daughter and they've only had a few years with her after that year and a half of thinking her dead before*

*Yeah*

*I also noted that both of you are now considered EDC liaisons for us*

*Yes, it's for the best really, especially if he has to do something in his Jiban form and can't liaison for a bit as Naoto*

*Understood, however I need you guys to make something clear to the EDC next time you guys meet them*

*What is it? *

*They only get one of you guys at any time for a sudden mission involving the police and EDC at the same time for whatever reason*

*Understood, we'll talk to them about that*

*Good*

*However, don't be surprised if they ask for both of us to report to base for training purposes*

*That I'll allow since it makes sense, but only training purposes*

*Don't worry if needed we'll make them understand that*

*Good, by the way Tamura we've received a message regarding Jiban from some sort of group that isn't affiliated with the EDC and yet asked the EDC to give something to the police for Jiban*

*I see...what exactly were you given anyways to pass onto me?*

*It's a box, why the EDC couldn't give it to you themselves is beyond me considering the situation*

*Probably simply keeping a promise sir*

*Maybe, do you want to open it here in private?*

*Here, it's for the best actually*

And so Naoto opens the box and it reveals not only several of his weapons that he'd used during his years of captivity but also pictures and information about his captors that hadn't been used in the recent trial against them for the simple fact that they hadn't been discovered at that time

*Tamura...this find is something that I think you needed without you realizing it*

*Yes, even if I never actually use these weapons again, not only is it good to know that they are no longer in circulation but they're also reminders of that time period that I need*

*How so Naoto?*

*Because Yoko, these weapons are a reminder that I did go through what I sometimes think is a dream, plus they're a reminder that we're not alone out there in that galaxy, that there are people who are like the EDC even if they do not fall under EDC jurisdiction*

*Though I bet you were hoping for the information we have regarding your captors sooner*

*Yes, but it will help in the future should they show up again and the EDC is there, and we might have leads on whoever killed Zoe*

*Good point, plus having others who are not affiliated with the EDC and yet do at the very least similar work must help the EDC out in ways I can't even imagine*

Suddenly the phone rang and while the Captain answered it he quickly passed the phone to Naoto

*It's for you Tamura*

*This is Tamura...* (switches to English?) "Wait...what did you just say?...I see...I see...okay I can be there within the hour...right...okay...see you soon"

Yoko immediately makes sure that the Captain was involved by speaking in Japanese feeling that it was important to emphasize that both parties needed to know what the phone call was about

*Naoto, what's wrong?*

*Someone's desecrated Zoe's grave and stolen her body*

*Okay they're dead*

*Exactly, when we find out who did it we're going to prosecute them to the fullest if they don't resist arrest*

*Those that resist arrest enough are dead*

*Yes they are, and even if they don't resist you can bet that the EDC will ask for extremely long sentence terms*

*Good point, that's their daughter after all, in any case though I am now officially ammending my earlier statement regarding them having both of you at the same time*

*Sir?*

*They need you, both of you for this, not just because of the fact that she's a fellow police officer but you two are the most familiar with her and EDC enemies and since I'm sure they'll want police representation for this search...*

*Understood sir*

*However please tell them I want regular updates about my officers status*

*We'll make sure they know sir*

*Good, now get going, you're on permanent liaison assignment until further notice, as such nothing besides Bioron will be reported to you two*

*Understood*

An hour later and Yoko and Naoto were in a private meeting with the three Cybertronian leaders

"So you're sure you're allowed to simply work besides us the entire time?"

"Yes, we're on permanent liaison duty until further notice, though you are warned here and now that if Bioron attacks I at the very least will be called out to help"

"But of course Naoto, it's only natural that you are called to fight them"

"So...let's get started on finding the ones who desecrated her grave and stole her body"

"Indeed"

And so the search began and it soon became obvious that it was EDC enemies who had desecrated Zoe's grave and thus it was possible that the ones responsible were out in space and thus the search was quickly expanded from Earth to the far reaches of outer space, though Earth would be thoroughly searched in the meantime

*Do you think we should split up Naoto?*

*Why are you asking Yoko?, and what do you mean by splitting up anyways?*

*I stay on Earth while you travel the universe with the EDC, as for why I'm asking it's just...sometimes splitting up makes things go faster in regards to leads*

*You have a point, okay then that's what we'll do, however Yoko if it becomes obvious the ones who took her body and desecrated her grave while doing so aren't on Earth you may need to make a decision of you'll stay Earthbound or not*

*I'll think about it Naoto, in the meantime though you have a search out in space to start and hopefully finish*

*Agreed, watch your back while I'm away, though I trust the EDC with our lives...*

*I know and understand, and the same instructions go to you by the way*

*I understand Yoko*

And with that the two officially split up to deal with the problem that they were handed that day

"So...you and Zoe didn't get much time together ultimately did you?"

"In regards to working together?, no we didn't, but I treasure what work we did do together all the same"

"Well, we have our work cut out for us"

"Yes, we do...Jazz?"

"Yes?"

"How did she do it? I mean searching for my supposed killers must have been hard so how did Zoe do it for as long as she had?"

"She was determined to give everyone closure"

"I can only imagine just how determined"

And so Jiban is finally in space once more and a month into his search the EDC are contacted by someone they weren't expecting to hear from again, especially not after everything else that had happened the last time they had been in contact with the person.

"EDC, this is Linsaranto, I heard about Kerenai and am offering my official help in finding her"

"Linsaranto, I thought you were told to remain home and not risk being captured ever again"

"My family and I agreed only recently that I was better off in the field so I help intergalactic police regularly and am now wanting to join the EDC"

"I see, very well are you at your home planet or not?"

"Not, I am currently in my own small ship about an Earth hour or so away from your current location"

"Okay, we'll maintain our position then, also Jiban is with us in his human form"

"Understood, I remember fighting him though he wouldn't remember fighting me due to the circumstances behind that fight"

"I see, I look forward to meeting you and actually remembering it"

"Same here"

An hour later and Linsaranto was on board the EDC vessel


	12. Chapter 12

"Hey guys"

"Hello again Linsaranto, how has your family been by the way?"

"Good, part of why my family thought I would be better as an intergalactic police informant/helper is because they too decided to help the intergalactic police about an Earth year after my return home"

"Oh, now then what do you know and how can that help?"

And so Linsaranto gave all the information he had, which wasn't as much as hoped but it was better than actually expected since they hadn't really gotten many leads since going into space

"Well then I guess all that's left to do is follow these leads and go from there"

"Indeed, let's just hope we find her killers and abductors sooner than we found you Jiban, though finding you was a good surprise at least"

"Yes, I just wish..."

"So do we but we had a funeral and you were there"

"Yes, we had a body this time around unlike with you Jiban"

"I know, it was an open casket funeral to my surprise, but in any case now you know what we're after Linsaranto"

"Yes, now then let's get to work with what leads I have brought"

And so the group starts to figure out where the people who abducted Zoe's remains were last seen and six months after Jiban went into space Yoko joined him because the EDC had exhausted every lead on Earth

*I think everyone was surprised including me Naoto when we ran out of leads so fast*

*How did that happen anyways Yoko?*

*Not sure really, it just did*

"Hey you two, English please"

"Sorry Jazz"

"Still, it is a surprise seeing you so soon Yoko, we thought it would take longer for the leads to die out on Earth if they ever did, to be honest while we're searching space we thought that they would remain on Earth so as to not establish a pattern"

"Same here but I guess not"

And so the group continues to follow what leads they get with Linsaranto's help and Yoko also doing work and six months after Yoko joins the case and a year after going into space the group finally arrests those who desecrated the grave and stole Zoe's remains, however they would receive a rather nasty shock

"Where's Zoe's body?"

"We don't have it anymore, we were attacked and her body taken from us"

"And why did you desecrate her grave and take her body in the first place?"

(Sighs) "I guess you have a right to know, we had two reasons, one of the reasons was because of the fact that we wanted to see if a drug that we need an antidote to was used seeing as how you guys aren't aware of the drug and thus wouldn't know to test for it or make an antidote. The second reason was not necessarily as a means to hurt you EDC officers but we weren't exactly thinking straight when we decided to see if she could be revived or if not then buried on the planet where she got her powers"

"I see...you could have asked us about the drug that has an antidote and taught us how to detect it for that issue, as for burying her on the planet she received her powers from, they already told us that she should be buried on Earth as it was her home planet, because she can't be revived or we would have succeeded when we tried before burying her"

"We're sorry, we should have thought things through better"

"Yes, you should have, we would have given permission for her body to be exhumed to test for the drug you suspected she had been given if we had known about it so that you could create an antidote that we all could use"

And so the search for Zoe's body continued with Jiban proving regularly that he'd made her powers his own though at the same time it was still obvious that he wasn't the original holders of the powers to those who had truly known Zoe and Jiban before Zoe's death. Eventually another year passed and finally they retrieved Zoe's body

"Finally, we can bring her home"

"Yes, it is time to bring her home"

And so Naoto puts his hand over Zoe's chest and suddenly freezes

"Uh...guys"

"What is it Tamura?"

"Zoe's alive, and probably has been this entire time"

"What?!"

The group quickly hooks Zoe up to equipment given to them by the ones who had taken her body in the first place and discovered that Naoto was correct in that Zoe was indeed alive, which was a shock to everyone including her original abductors

"I swear we didn't know, the equipment didn't catch this when we checked for ourselves"

"We know, something must have changed between when you scanned her last time and this time"

"Maybe it took both our technologies to discover that she was actually alive, that and whatever it was that let officer Tamura know"

"Possibly"

"Still...how are we going to safely bring her about?, if she's been in a stasis like state for all this time..."

"Oh...yeah that's a problem alright"

"How so?"

"Easy Linsaranto, she's going to be extremely weak when we finally wake her up and if we don't bring her out of the stasis properly we'll lose her for real this time, and she's also going to be severely malnourished as well"

"Maybe you can hook her up to something that will help her with this malnourishment thing and then figure out a way to safely bring her out of stasis"

"Okay that will work because of the fact that just giving her an IV won't really affect the stasis, it's everything else that we have to do that will affect her stasis"

"Good point, this is going to take time and I don't think she'll be able to be a police officer ever again you two"

*Why not Jazz?*

*Simple Yoko, she'll never regain her strength to be a police officer, even using her powers will drain her drastically and knock her out for days at a time*

*I could tell as soon as I touched her that while she was alive there was something about her that was different, I can help supplement her strength but it wouldn't last for very long and probably not something Zoe would want anyways*

*Hopefully she takes it well then but still...at least she's alive*

"Only if we properly revive her from stasis"

And with that the group gets started on bringing Zoe out of stasis, which takes two Earth months but finally she was awake

*Jazz?*

*Hey Zoe*

*Why are we on an EDC ship?*

*I'll explain that later, for now though you still need rest and the IV you have in you, doctors orders*

*Okay*

Zoe starts to go back to sleep only to sit up suddenly

*Jiban!...I remember everything Jazz, did...did Jiban get my necklace in time?*

*Yes and he's made them his own in several ways*

*Good, that doesn't explain why...Jazz did I die?*

*Yes, and your body was stolen through a slight misunderstanding, but that ultimately turned out to be a good thing because we would have never found out about you being alive if not for that*

*Hm...full story later then, night*

It would take Zoe another two weeks before she was able to actually stay awake the entire time she needed to but once that was accomplished she was told the full story about how her stasis was discovered and reversed. She was also told about the fact that she would never be able to be a police officer again because she was simply too weak to handle the job anymore, and how her powers would make her exhausted much earlier than before due to how she was put into stasis in the first place and also how long she'd been in stasis

"I see...Naoto I bet I know what you would do if I would let you, but I won't let you"

"I figured you wouldn't let me supplement your powers with mine"

"You figured right...however I can give you what's left of my powers, thus the powers you gained from my necklace will truly be yours, but to do so we must go to the planet where I gained my powers in the first place"

"You know that's something that's always confused me, even when I became an EDC liaison I was never told how you gained those powers, it seemed like a taboo subject"

"It's not so much a taboo as much as the fact that my family is so used to my abilities and how I came by them that it's not really asked about and thus not really explained. You see I was actually born with these powers though we didn't know about it until I was five"

"Wait...how can you have been born with those powers?"

"My mom was unknowingly pregnant with me at the time when she visited the planet and drank the water, when my birth parents died when I was a month old, that's how I got adopted by the Cybertronians"

"But the water was what gave you your powers"

"Yes, it was, at least from what my family and the people of the planet I gained my powers from can figure out anyways"

"Still...are you sure you want to give up what abilities you have left? I mean if you're attacked because of the fact that you're well known to EDC enemies..."

"I know, however there's something you guys have to consider, my powers put me in this stasis when it detected the poison, but...because of that I can tell that these powers will kill me if I don't transfer them to someone else"

"Wait are you saying..."

"Yes, if I don't give up my powers to either those who naturally have them because they are from the planet or give them to Naoto then I will die"

"How long Zoe?"

"One Earth year, we have that long to get me to the planet and transfer the powers to either Naoto or someone on that planet"

"Okay, we need a little more clarity one Earth year from today or...from when you were brought out of stasis"

"From when I was brought out of stasis"

"Which means we have about eleven and a half months before you die to get back to that planet and transfer your powers, which gives Naoto time to decide what he wants to actually do"

It ultimately took the group eight Earth months to get to the planet and through no influence of anyone Naoto had decided that Zoe was right and that it was for the best that he get the remaining power that Zoe had so that he could truly have Zoe's abilities instead of having only part of her abilities and them not being truly his even if he'd come into his own with Zoe's powers

"Kerenai, is it decided who shall receive what's left of your powers?"

"Yes, Jiban, the person I gave my powers to originally shall take what's left of my abilities into himself so that he shall truly have my powers instead of what some consider only a mockery of them"

And so the group does the ceremony to transfer what was left of Zoe's powers to Jiban and after both of them recover from the ceremony they head home. Once they got home and the paperwork declaring Zoe alive was taken care of Yoko would remain a police officer for the next fifteen years while Naoto and Zoe would remain a police officer and police dispatcher respectfully for another thirty years, and somehow EDC enemies never attacked Zoe so that it was never revealed that she no longer had powers, and when they both passed away due to a bombing in their apartment they were buried next to Yoko who had died from pneumonia a few years earlier, but all three of their graves had the Cybertronian symbol of peace on them along with the EDC symbol to mark their association with them


End file.
